The Fate of the Alpha Male
by perilouslips
Summary: A fiery kunoichi who accepts no substitutions. A convoluted grudge plot. A meddling great-aunt. Did someone say love was easy? Kiba's got his work cut out for him. [KibaSakura] Slow burn, sprinkled with citrus.
1. Players Gonna Play

3/31/20 Edit: smoothing out flow, shifted a chunk from chapter 2.

More accurate to say this is what _Duty_ should have been.

Fair warning for new readers: mild crack/AU. Loosely set after the last big war (you know the one), complete with the version of Team 7 I love best. Our main players are 25ish. Emotions burn slow and hot.

Disclaimer: do I really need to say it? Naruto ain't mine, bruv. Please suspend your disbelief.

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**1\. Players Gonna Play**

* * *

_Goddamn, I feel sorry for all those people who don't have huge dogs to nap on…_

Kiba stared up through the waving branches above him, eyelids heavy. He felt equally sorry for all the folks currently on away missions from Konoha. Spring had recently sprung, and the whole world was blooming. All the trees were putting out their best leaves, as well they should. Leaves were very serious business round these parts. The dog ninja huffed some fresh air and rolled over, burying his nose in his companion's fur. Akamaru gave a contented grunt and dozed on, long-practiced in the finer aspects of being a pillow.

"KIBA!"

The man cracked an eye open and strained his peripheral vision to see his mother's canine partner Kuromaru bounding towards them. He looked kind of pissed. Kiba groaned, but otherwise didn't move. Maybe playing dead would work this time.

Not in the mood for shenanigans, the giant hound barreled straight into Kiba's ribs to bring himself to a stop. He snapped his teeth impatiently when Kiba had the gall to roll around swearing. "You infernal whelp, the clan meeting started an hour ago! Get your hind in gear!"

Kiba sat up with a scowl, cradling his side. He rubbed his aching ribs. "The phrase 'unnecessary use of force' comes to mind."

"Don't give me that! Up, boy, UP! It has been weeks since you were designated as the heir, yet you seem oblivious to the most minimal requirements of the position!" Kuromaru slammed a paw into the ground.

Kiba side-eyed the beast. "I was _born_ the heir."

This pedantry was not well-received, and the growl rattling Kuromaru's chest kicked up a few decibels. Kiba chewed on his upper lip. There was a solid chance his mother had granted preemptive clearance for her son to be physically dragged back to the clan compound. She'd done it before, knowing full well there'd be no love lost between them over a few oozing bite marks. Plus it made her laugh so hard she almost pissed herself.

He glanced at Akamaru, who stretched next to him and fixed Kiba with a look that communicated volumes. _Don't push your luck, buddy. _Then the dog yawned and gazed up at the sky like he hadn't also been playing truant. Kiba glowered at him, but got to his feet anyway, rolling his shoulders against the sun-warmed leather of his jacket.

Kuromaru's teeth were bared, but he kept them to himself. Instead he sat back on his sizable haunches and gave Kiba the old fish eye. Kiba scrunched up his face and rubbed it, sighing dramatically. "Gimme a break, Kuro. We have the same damn meeting every month."

"The clan elders are attending. Your absence bears reconsideration."

Kiba swatted his backside a few times to knock dirt off. "Yeah, they show up at, like, every _other_ meeting to bitch about stuff."

"This is not the regular _bitching_, your mother must have told you," Kuromaru said, still watching Kiba sternly. "Even your heavily pregnant sister is attending, and _she_ was five minutes early."

"Hana's empty social calendar, while regrettable, ain't a motivating factor for me." Kiba shrugged a shoulder, dismissive. "Doubt anybody'll die if I skip out."

Kuromaru snorted, then turned back the way he came, breaking into a casual trot. "_You _just might, if you make your mother wait long enough. I advise you get moving, pup."

This was an excellent point, but Kiba made a face at Kuromaru's backside anyway. "And I've seen the light. Halle-fucking-lujah." He jerked his head at Akamaru, who loped alongside as they made for home.

* * *

Tsume was tossing the final seating cushion into the corner when she smelled her wildest child coming into the yard. She shared an irritated look with her daughter, who was seated across the large hall on a chair. Hana raised an eyebrow over the rim of her tea cup.

An assortment of feet tramped down the hallway. Tsume's jaw clenched, and she ran her tongue over her teeth testily as her son entered with his dog entourage. A few clan members were still scattered around in hushed conversation, but all eyes locked onto the heir immediately. The younger ones tried to act nonchalant (and failed). The older ones grinned as if deranged (very likely). Kiba didn't seem to notice, doing his best to pretend remorse (complete horseshit).

Tsume snarled quietly and pointed the boy towards his sister with an irate claw, moving to intercept the geezer brigade that was hobbling their way. Dealing with her sometimes stupid offspring was trouble enough without bored old farts stirring the pot.

Kiba slowly changed direction. One of the old folks was gesturing at him, barely keeping the false teeth in his mouth. Then they all laughed like they were at a comedy show. One patted Tsume heartily on the arm with a broad wink, though it's possible he was just having a stroke.

Kiba couldn't remember what the hell this meeting had been about, but was really beginning to wonder. He looked askance at Hana, who set her tea down and smiled at him. "Oh look, my favorite brother's here!"

Kiba put his back to the wall beside her. "Neato, maybe he can sub in for me at these goddamn things."

"He'll have to learn to read a clock first."

"That's a hard ask."

Hana moaned in response as she pressed a hand to the side of her swollen belly, forehead creased in pain. She breathed deeply for a few moments, then leaned her head back. "Based on the way he's trying to murder me, I guarantee this kid is gonna make ANBU. Little shit," she murmured, stroking her stomach.

Kiba grunted his assent. Those tiny feet were vicious. "Let's put a pin in baby's career options till he actually moves out. Back to me. What'd I miss and why do the olds keep looking at me like that?" The group was still in animated conversation with his mother, peering at him with beady eyes. The hair on the back of his neck prickled.

Hana yawned as she scratched Akamaru's head, conveniently placed on her leg. "Well, there was a rollicking debate about how much sluttier you've gotten. Also almost everyone agreed you need to show more responsibility as incoming clan head."

Kiba snorted. "_Responsibility? _Sure, Hokage-sama thinks I'll make squad leader within the year, but I need to _show_ _more_ _responsibility_. Fuckin' obviously_._"

Hana's expression was impassive. "I'd wager our elders don't equate 'dicking down everything in a skirt' with 'ANBU black ops'."

Kiba grit his teeth and told himself that he was not the kind of man to hit a pregnant woman. But he was real tempted to flick her in the earlobe or something.

"What the hell, boy!" Tsume's bark was decidedly snappish as she advanced on her children, eyes fierce. The fogies were still clustered a ways off, muttering amongst themselves and leering.

Kiba made an effort to sound contrite. "Sorry, Ma. Time got away from me."

"Then remind me to staple a planner to your ass," Tsume growled. Her glare made Kiba itch. "Did Hana tell you?"

"She told me my healthy sexuality's controversial." Kiba scowled.

Tsume considered the possibility that her son was karmic payback for being a hell-raiser herself as a youth. She sighed away another measure of sanity. "Look, I don't make the rules. When a male steps up to lead, the issue of heirs needs attention. Your sister'd be a different matter, but any mother of your children has to _agree _to be blood. Savvy?"

Kiba's eyes bugged out a little. His sister was shit at summaries. "Hold up, how'd we jump to babies all of a sudden?"

His mother's eyes were flat with scorn. "Don't tell me you're unaware how gene transmission works."

"'Course I fuckin' do. Been taking active measures to avoid it. Besides, Hana's blood. Her kid'll be blood. Why do I need to have one?"

Tsume looked dangerously close to cuffing him. "Successful clans grow. We live in prosperous times, and the elders want options."

"The elders have too much goddamn time on their hands." Kiba's lip curled, displaying his sharper teeth. "Maybe they oughta take up water aerobics, or goddamn basket weaving."

His mother exhibited a rare moment of fatigue, massaging her forehead with the heels of her hands. "Whine all you want. They're demanding their worries get addressed before you become Alpha. I advocated for you, but compromise is part of any negotiation." She fixed him with her flinty gaze. "Things are already in motion. All _you _have to do is be respectful when called for and show up, for gods sakes."

Kiba bristled. "I'm respectful as shit. And _what_ goddamn things?"

"Some old-school protocols are being revived," Tsume said, tone revealing nothing. "I understand the protest, but it's not completely up to me."

"It definitely fucking is," Kiba grumbled through his teeth. "You just don't want a mutiny of old people on your hands."

"Until the Konoha Community Center steps up its offerings, the old dogs need bones to gnaw. Better yours than mine." Tsume shrugged and started to walk off. When she reached the door, she threw an ominous grin over her shoulder. "Just relax for now. Live your life. You don't have anything to worry about until Elder Hachiko's arrival."

Then she disappeared down the corridor. Kiba's brow furrowed. "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

His sister sipped her tea. "Wouldn't help you either way."

* * *

"I gotta call the hospital. See if I can get a scan done." Genma was facedown on the table, a caricature of sadness.

"And why, pray tell, would you need a scan?" Shikamaru spoke to the sky, fingers laced behind his head, utterly unmoved.

"Because that she-devil pulverized my heart! Geez, listen better. Some friend you are."

"Shame she didn't get your voice box too," Kiba groused, nursing a beer on Genma's other side. He was feeling decidedly surly.

Kiba had headed to the mission center directly after the meeting, thirsty for sanctioned violence. He'd lucked into a well-paying gig to hand some rogues their own asses, but had two days to stew before leaving. Then he'd stopped by the lounge to check his mailbox and found Genma draped on the couch like sad laundry, with Shikamaru parked beside him looking like he was trying to listen without killing himself. They'd both looked up at him with equal degrees of hope, and Kiba was the worst sucker for puppy eyes.

But Genma wouldn't quit whining, so Kiba had insisted that for everyone's sanity, they retire to a bar. And Genma was not nearly as sad as he was pretending to be, so he'd dragged them to a painfully trendy place that was already playing its music too loud. And Shikamaru had been dealing with Genma longer and was impatient for booze, so what the hell, right? The back patio was deserted and almost pleasant with the warm breeze blowing through, despite the insistent muted pulse of techno permeating the air.

"You guys are both dicks," Genma said, propping himself up enough to tongue the straw of his hurricane into his mouth.

Shikamaru stood and stretched long arms above his head. "Call it inborn response to drama queens." He grabbed his empty glass and waved it at Kiba. "You want another?"

Kiba gave a casual salute, adding "Whiskey this time, rocks", and Shikamaru braved the portal to the bass-drop dungeon once more.

Kiba turned his near-empty bottle in his hands, reflecting on the fact that he had done almost nothing of consequence all day. He'd have been feeling great if that heir bullshit wasn't stuck in his craw. Kiba chewed on the inside of his lip. What a fucking racket… He preferred his privates be under the scrutiny of the young and sexy, but obviously nobody asked _his _opinion.

Genma heaved a morose sigh. Kiba roused from his dark thoughts and inspected the other jounin critically. Genma's relationship addiction had gotten out of hand a long time ago. The man loved to be in love, but whether the feelings were real or not was highly debatable.

Kiba jabbed his bottle at him. "To echo Shikamaru: 'this happens every month, you consummate sad-sack.'"

Genma affected a wounded expression. "Uh, more like every _other _month, thank you very little." He slurped his drink obnoxiously. Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. You just wanna get wasted at three in the afternoon."

"I'm drowning my sorrows. Straight-up assassinating the fuckers. I should get mission pay for this." Genma pulled his straw and chugged the last of his slush as he got to his feet. "Besides, I don't recall having to twist your arm any."

Kiba downed the rest of his beer and lobbed the bottle into the trashcan across the patio with more vehemence than necessary. He wondered why Shikamaru was taking so long.

Genma made to head towards the patio door, but it opened before he got there. A tired-looking Naruto slipped out in a cloud of dubstep. Shikamaru brought up the rear, drinks in hand, and kicked the door shut behind him. Kiba raised his eyebrows, surprise lifting his mood a little. "Okay, I know why we're here, but why're _you _here?"

Shikamaru passed him his whiskey while Naruto sank into Genma's seat, expression turning sour. "Because Konohamaru's a traitor. Just came off a mission with them, and Moegi's like 'let's get a drink' and I'm like 'why not' and he was all 'hell yeah', but the fucker bailed as soon as my order came." The blond glared vaguely at the table. "He left me in a circle of Moegi's gal pals. And this place has cosmos on tap, so they just go off."

Shikamaru was struggling to keep a straight face as he lounged back in his chair. "Did they try to get you to take your shirt off again?"

Naruto looked very glum. "No, but one of 'em groped me so hard I'm gonna have divots in my ass."

Kiba sniggered into his drink. Their future hokage flipped him off. "Laugh it up, dog breath. See how you like it when they're tweaking your nipples…" Naruto trailed off like he was having war flashbacks. Clearly his newfound popularity was a heavy burden.

Genma, still standing behind them, gave a low whistle. "Gal pals, nipple tweaks, and grab-ass. Knew I came here for a reason."

Naruto sighed miserably. "I don't get no respect, no respect at all."

Genma blasted them with bass on his way back inside. "Who needs respect when you can have muthafuckin' _TEQUILA SHOTS_?!"

The door slammed on this portentous announcement. Naruto leaned back with an "ugh" and tipped the rest of his rum down his throat. Shikamaru met Kiba's gaze with a resigned look and clinked their glasses together. "We are so getting alcohol poisoning."

* * *

Genma was so drunk he was actually crying. "But she had sucha nice ass."

Naruto was nodding and petting his hair, as was the custom of the severely wasted. " 'm sure 'nother nice ass'll come along t'morrow."

Kiba observed this tender tableau, weaving a little in his seat, and mused over when exactly the night had gone to hell. Probably the fifth round of tequila.

The first couple of shots had percolated rapidly with everyone's chosen lubricants. Shikamaru had turned more liquid in his seat, Naruto lost his dead-eyed stare. Genma remained annoying, but they were drinking alcohol, not miracle juice. In any case, tension crawled away to take a nap, and Kiba had relaxed again. So when Shikamaru stuck a finger in Kiba's face with a _don't-think-I-haven't-noticed-something-crawled-up-your-ass-today-buddy_, though he wasn't normally a sharer, Kiba had spilled what was bugging him.

His revelation had surprised everyone into silence. No one had any real experience with their entire family ordering them to cease their harlotry and make with the babies already. Things had slanted moody again. Then Genma, ever the reliable agent of chaos, started moaning a lot and calling Kiba 'Mr. Big Dick' in an unsettling cutesy voice. Needless to say, it was kind of hard to be serious after that.

Unfortunately, chaos flows both ways. On Genma's next venture for tequila, he'd engaged in some unlawful mingling with Moegi's brood. He'd returned with a tray full of mezcal and a giggly train of drunk ladies traipsing behind him. Subsequently, things took a turn.

It hadn't seemed so awful initially. Alcohol levels were surging around the table, the girls were cute, and booze made Kiba foolish for pretty faces. He'd started some heavy flirting, had some laughs, did a body shot off a curvy brunette with gusto. But then she'd squealed that she just got licked by the Big Dick guy, sounding far too much like Genma had, and then they'd all started squealing, which totally ruined it.

So by the time the next gulp of tequila floated his way, Kiba had already sunk back into drinking to forget.

Now he was leaning on the table pressing his hands into his temples. Someone had propped the door open at some point as the bar crowd swelled, and the patio's dim lights seemed to be throbbing in time with the speakers inside. He was trying to get his brain to stop doing the same thing.

"…so I just told that no-good butthole to get out of my life, and that I never wanted to see him again! And he never came back! And I said, 'Good riddance, if I ever see your cheating butt again, I'm going to have my new boyfriend kick it!', but it's really pretty lucky he hasn't come back, because I haven't got a new boyfriend yet!"

Body-shot brunette had been in the strawberry daiquiris all night. This wouldn't have been a problem if she hadn't been absorbing all the sugar and venting it through her vocal chords. Kiba took a long pull of whiskey, contemplating the relative merits of euthanasia.

"So anyway, do you have a girlfriend? If you don't, I'm totally going to ask you out!"

Kiba turned to her, brows flat over his eyes in inebriate contemplation. The young woman was fluttering her lashes, perhaps trying for alluring. Her body language screamed that she was ravenous, but only for the sausage in Kiba's pants. Genma's stupid nickname was a resounding hit, and much as Kiba wanted to lie to the girl to protect his bygone virtue, his macho pride wouldn't allow it. We all have our crosses to bear.

Stalling, he swiveled his head around to survey the pandemonium of the impromptu dance floor that had opened up on one half of the patio. A number of people were bumping around under the swinging lights, including Moegi, whose hair had long since fluffed out of her pigtails, making her look like some kind of rave lion. Bewilderingly, Shikamaru was next to her doing a slow cabbage patch, smoothing his hands all over his body like he was on ecstasy. This was problematic for a few reasons, mainly that Kiba had been counting on his comradeship in this conflict.

He swung his head back to check on the other two. Naruto was falling asleep sitting up, face in his hands, elbows propped on Genma's back as the idiot sobbed into his lap. Fucking useless. Then he felt a sticky finger trace his clan tattoo, a hand creeping up his thigh. Body Shot giggled next to his ear, and Kiba recoiled. Just because he had a reputation for sleeping around didn't mean he had an _obligation_ to. The gears in his head ground out Plan B: booze, way more booze.

He knocked back the rest of his drink and stood up—so far so good—swayed for a moment, then lurched bar-ward, reaching the sanctuary of the pounding speakers in time to miss Body Shot's pouty interjection. He let the crowd flow rock him up to the bar and flapped a hand at the bartender, who ignored him.

"Hey Mr. Big! Did you hear me? Do you have a girlfriend?" That voice shrilled in his ear. Kiba stared blearily at the bartender, who continued studiously drying a glass, the bastard. Thus far, plan B was a hot pile of failure. Too bombed to produce a Plan C, Kiba opted for his default: spout some charm and leg it.

"Yeahhh, girlfriend, girlfriend'sh waitin' for me, I uh… I'ma go." _Genius_.

Body Shot's face loomed uncomfortably close. Kiba didn't care much about personal space normally, but was starting to think he should. He reeled back on instinct. Her perfume had smelled a lot better when they were outside with the breeze. Now the body heat and humid air conspired to drown him in a thick cloud of dizzying fake florals and sweat. His stomach churned.

"Got-gotta go, late late," he mumbled, shoving past the hands that were trying to sneak under his shirt and following his desperate nose to the closest fresh air. He fought his way through the crowd, swimming against the human undertow until he finally stumbled through a doorway. He breathed deeply a few times before realizing that he'd gone out the front. Then came the recognition that his friends were still on the patio. The thought floated in his brain pan for a moment, and he shuffled back around. Then his brain pan sloshed itself in horror because Body Shot had cut right through all the crowd-as-water metaphors like a shark, toothy smile included. She was making straight for him. Slapped with an overwhelming wave of _fuck it_, Kiba reversed his shuffle and broke into a loose jog.

She seemed determined to trail him home. Dimly, he realized that he didn't want her knowing where he lived. Time for some slick ninja maneuvers.

He turned a corner and tried to remember what any of those were.

His eyes shifted left, discovering an apartment building. A decent amount of buzzers glowed faintly at him. Something about buzzers struck Kiba as a very good thing. He dashed up the steps, punched a button, and prayed to any gods listening that whoever answered was feeling charitable.

The speaker crackled, then grouchily croaked, "Someone better be dying."

Kiba cleared his throat and wrestled his brain into gear. "Uh, 's me. Lemme up. Forgot my key."

The line was silent for a long moment. Then: "Who is this?"

Kiba leaned his forehead against the door, willing it to buzz open. But he could smell Body Shot nauseatingly close behind him, and had to take a gamble.

"ANBU, yer under arrest haha… no, uh, come on baby, it's yer, uh…" He swallowed, breathing shallowly, "…lil' love muffin."

The line was silent again, then, with a frustrated huff on the other end, went dead. Kiba pondered whether Body Shot would leave him alone if he threw up on her.

The door buzzed. Kiba gave a weak fist pump and got it open just in time. He turned to his pursuer, dizzy with victory, and booped her on the nose. "Sorry babe, gotta go have lotsa girlfrien' sex. See you neverrrr."

He shut the door in her surprised face and slumped back against it, sliding down to his butt. He sent quiet thanks to whoever let him in and lay his spinning head back. Now to regroup, let the smell beast vacate the area...

Kiba collapsed onto his side, snoring loudly. The gods laughed.

* * *

Kiba rose from the bliss of unconsciousness on an elevator made of pain. Someone had put an axe through his head sometime during the night. He groaned pitifully into the pillow his face was stuffed in, then carefully turned his head and opened his eyes.

He had no idea where he was. A slow pan of the room revealed unfamiliar furniture. It was impossible to tell what time it was other than "day", as whoever lived here had very competent blinds. Kiba considered his suffering a reasonable excuse for not giving a shit, and tried to go back to sleep. He was starting to doze off again when the blinds were pulled up with a loud _thrrrrrrunk_ and the sun screamed directly into his eyeballs. Kiba threw an arm over his face, spewing profanity.

"Morning, Big Dick."

His blood froze, those words recalling the part of last night he'd really hoped to forget. But he'd escaped… Surely if he'd ended up at her place, he'd be tied to a bed spread-eagle, gagging on cheap perfume.

_Oh god. _Kiba's scent-memory betrayed him like a motherfucker, and he made a pathetic little _ulp_ sound as he held down a heave.

"Don't even _think_ about ralphing on my goddamn couch." Firm hands wedged under his armpits and hauled him up before steering him a short way down a hall into a bathroom. He stumbled over his own feet as he lunged for the toilet and banged his knees on the tile in reverent misery.

There wasn't much in his stomach, but it still took a minute for the retching to calm. As the queasiness receded, the pounding in his head doubled down. He whimpered and leaned against the bathtub next to him, squeezing his head between his hands. "Kill meee."

"Strangulation, decapitation, a really sharp spoon—you name it, I'm game."

Kiba dug his fingers into his temples. "Use the spoon, scoop my brain out."

"Or I could just pop your head like a little grape." Knuckles were cracked. "Less complicated."

Kiba squinted at the rumpled shape in the doorway. She was sporting a serious case of bedhead, which would have been cute if she hadn't been radiating murder from every pore. Her green eyes spat poison at him, and he wondered why the fates couldn't take a dump on someone else today.

"Well, we're over tile. At least clean up'd be easy," he said, trying for charming. Metaphorical mountains had been moved by this charm in the past.

Unfortunately, Haruno Sakura was a seething volcano. It was blood sacrifice or bust. Kiba doubted his long-dead virginity would pose an issue for this pink-haired rage goddess. Maybe _she's_ who hit him with the axe.

"Certainly easier than your little projectile episode on the stairs," Sakura said, folding her arms with slow menace. "Those carpets are surprisingly absorbent."

Kiba pushed himself up to perch on the side of the tub, head too sore for shame. "Guess your landlord's gonna feel real dumb he splashed out for the fancy shit, huh?"

Sakura growled. Kiba did his best to demonstrate abject misery. They watched each other for a few more moments.

Sakura looked away first, shaking her head. "I can't believe how many idiots I have the direct privilege of knowing. Rinse your mouth. I'll get the goddamn Tylenol."

* * *

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	2. The Morning After

4/1/20 Edit: smoothing the flow. Like _big time_, this chapter needed a lot more work.

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* * *

**2\. The Morning After**

* * *

Like many other living beings, Sakura disliked having her sleep interrupted. She responded especially poorly when the interruption led to an extended period of drunk babysitting.

Having recently moved to a new building, she was still figuring out which neighbors to hate. Under the fair assumption that the moron who'd woken her up belonged in the building, she'd tossed on a robe and headed down to dispense justice. There she'd found Inuzuka Kiba drooling in the entryway. This was not to be the first surprise of her night.

Sakura had dragged him up the stairs (with an interlude of impressive gastric pyrotechnics) and deadlifted him onto her couch, propping pillows around the fucker to keep him safely on his side. Then she'd returned to the crime scene to clean up, less out of a sense of responsibility than the desire to not smell barf in the stairwell for the next few weeks. After some intensive carpet cleaning, she'd stomped back through her door to hear the dog ninja murmuring drunk nothings to himself. She'd been coaxing water into him and sullenly trying to convince him to go back to sleep when the phone rang. It was Moegi, chipper and only slurring a _teeny _bit, informing her that Naruto needed her, then hanging up with zero awareness that she'd just sent the medic's heart rate through the roof.

Sakura had honed in on Naruto's chakra with her heart in her throat. Naruto never needed her unless it was bad. Of course, he'd been in much the same state as Kiba had, which was objectively pretty bad. But Sasuke was already there crouching over him, alternating between forcing gulps of water and slapping him awake. Next to them, Shikamaru was propped up stroking his cheeks with a pensive air, Genma wrapped around him like bacon on a date (or some other delicious canapé, ugh, she'd just scrubbed puke, _why was she hungry_), both fine albeit excessively sloshed.

Sakura had given each of their livers a boost so she didn't feel like she'd totally wasted her time. She'd only had incredibly rude things to say at that point, and say them she did, regaling Sasuke with the tale of how her night had gone so far (spoilers: it was shit). Sasuke had grunted at appropriate times and, in an effort to stay on her good side, committed to taking charge of the remaining intoxicated. Sakura had blessed him with a smacking kiss on top of his head and rushed home to grab what beauty sleep she could.

Now she was watching Kiba toss his cookies for the second time in 24 hours. Oh what a beautiful morning. Sakura bared her teeth at him for form's sake, but was too bushed to exact any further punishment than he'd already caused himself. She set out pain meds, checked her schedule, and stalked back to her room to make herself look professional. On the way, she poked her head into the bathroom to inform her impromptu guest that he had half an hour to get his shit together. One quick Boss-Bitch-no-justu later, Sakura entered the kitchen to find Kiba half in the sink. He looked up at her, dripping from sticking his whole head under the faucet. The color was returning to his face. He flashed her a fanged grin halfway to regular wattage.

Sakura eyed him dubiously. "You'd better not shake off in here. _Bad dog._"

Kiba smiled a little wider and yapped at her like a Pomeranian, then winced at the strain the joke put on his headache. Sakura snorted at him. It was hard not to be fond of the dummies she knew, much as they delighted in pissing her off.

"Where's Akamaru, by the way?" she asked; an offhand question, considering the four-legged beast was scads more sensible than the two-legged one.

Kiba seemed to agree, wiping water off his face with his hand. "Ditched me before the bar. Probably had a much better time with his bitches."

"I dunno," Sakura said, leaning against the counter all casual-like. "I imagine Big Dick Kiba gets plenty of bitches vying for his… attention."

She expected innuendo back, but Kiba slicked his sopping hair back from his face and fixed her with a miffed look. "How the hell do _you _know about that? Did Genma put goddamn signs up?"

Sakura kept a tight rein on her smile. "Just a few billboards." Kiba narrowed his eyes at her like he wasn't sure she was kidding, but managed a rueful smile when she laughed. "You told me yourself, dumbass. I was trying to rehydrate you, but you were far more interested in running your mouth."

"I plead extreme duress." Kiba's eyebrows slanted the tiniest bit worried. "What all did I say?"

Sakura pursed her lips. "You were very sorry you weren't sorry about the size of your penis."

Kiba nodded knowingly, brows relaxing. "Classic me. Anything else?"

Sakura completely failed to keep a straight face. "That's about the long and short of it."

Kiba curled a lip in disgust as she cracked up. "A dick pun? I expect better from you, Haruno."

"Come back when it's not ass-early, _love muffin_, I'm wittier then." She jerked her head at the door and grabbed her bag. Kiba nabbed his jacket and followed, pausing while she locked up before preceding her down. His damp undershirt clung to his broad shoulders. Sakura skimmed an appreciative glance across them, then down his well-muscled back. Purely out of medical interest, you understand. Can't expect someone to control their eyes on so little sleep.

Kiba stopped on the second floor landing. "Dude, great job. Even _I _can hardly tell I yakked here."

Sakura marched past him with a peevish sigh. _Yup, purely medical..._

* * *

Kiba followed Sakura out the front door of her building and stepped into a positively glorious day. The glory was tempered by mutual grouchiness, as neither the pain meds (Kiba's) nor hastily-chugged coffee (Sakura's) had really kicked in yet. Kiba snuck a sneaky peek at the woman next to him, who was glaring into her bag and muttering something that sounded like _fucking sun, what are you so goddamn happy about _while she fished around. She found sunglasses and shoved them on her face with a grumbling huff before turning her head his way. "I'd tell you to stay out of trouble, but I know that's a waste of breath."

Kiba looked at her very seriously. "Can't do it. Trouble's my middle name."

Sakura quirked a brow at him. "And here I thought it was 'Shitheel'."

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, that too." She rewarded him with a chuckle as she turned to go. Kiba watched her until she turned down a side street, then gathered his bearings. He was relatively certain Shikamaru had his wallet, so he wandered towards the center of town, trailing the tactician's particular scent blend of deep woods and smoke. He found the man plastered to a bench in the shade outside a little café. Uchiha Sasuke sat on the bench adjacent staring off into space.

Kiba slowed his approach. He didn't dislike Sasuke per se, but something about the guy perpetually rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was all those mission attempts they'd suffered in the past trying to drag Sasuke back to his goddamn senses, or maybe it was the fact that he was an asshole. Flip a coin, you'd be right regardless of what side it landed on.

Okay, maybe he _did _dislike Sasuke.

The council was partially to blame. Thanks to their intense horniness to keep the Sharingan in Konoha, when Sasuke didn't immediately murder everyone after he came back, they simply elected to impose some rules on him and call it a day. This effectively brushed the whole moonlighting-as-a-missing-nin issue under the rug like it was just a weird puberty thing, and added major insult to all injuries incurred by Konoha's less notorious ninjas over their years of dealing with Uchiha-related bullshit.

For all intents and purposes, Sasuke seemed better adjusted compared to before he left. He put on a good show of being content to live within his boundaries, which spoke to a certain level of maturity, whatever the fuck _that_ was worth. And that was all hunky dory, but Kiba didn't jive with the guy's energy. They were generally on opposite ends of any social gathering, since Kiba loved to shoot the shit and Sasuke's aim was out of whack. But now Sasuke was watching him walk up, question circumscribed in the slant of his brows, and Kiba sensed an incoming attempt at socializing.

Blessedly, Naruto exited the café a second later, a natural-born charm against awkwardness. He was somewhat green around the gills, but brightened when he saw Kiba. He tossed a takeout box at Sasuke and threw his arms wide, shouting "BIG DICK!" to the sky and a few scandalized passersby. Kiba gave him a Look, which was resolutely ignored.

Naruto's grin was bright as the damn sun even when hungover. "What happened to you last night? I know I lost track kinda early, but the rest of us woke up at Bastard's place." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder at Sasuke, as if Kiba needed clarification on which bastard he was referring to.

Kiba shrugged one shoulder, hedging. "Eh, buncha dumb shit, you know how it goes..." He gestured at their little group. "Did Genma die?"

Naruto waved a hand in front of his face. "Nah, but we're too hungover for his shit, so we voted him off the island."

"Yeah, he can't sit with us today," Shikamaru piped in petulantly.

Sasuke had the takeout box open and was already halfway through a giant rice ball when he cleared his throat, directing his gaze at Kiba. "From what I hear, you ended up at Sakura's."

Naruto's jaw fell open as he turned to glare at Sasuke. "What?! You never mentioned THAT." He turned back to Kiba, eyes blazing with accusation. "That's not a bunch of dumb shit at all. What the hell, man!"

Kiba ignored Naruto in favor of returning Sasuke's stare with some consternation (because _what the hell, man_ indeed).

"Sakura got drunk-dialed," the Uchiha informed him, tone edged with contempt. This annoyingly concise statement contextualized the depth of Sakura's earlier rage somewhat.

"Yeah, 'cause Moegi knows she's our healing angel, emphasis on _our_," Naruto said, waving a hand between him and Sasuke. He pointed at Kiba. "Who let you into this club?"

Kiba tilted his head back, curling his lip a little. "Some healing angel, you still look like shit."

"Sometimes angels are cruel," Sasuke deadpanned. Naruto sighed and wilted pathetically.

"True that," Kiba said, still glad he woke up at the angel's house all things considered. "Anyway, did any of y—"

"_Anyway_, you were explaining about Sakura-chan." Naruto's brows were low over his eyes. He was worse than a dog with a bone sometimes (Kiba had a lot of experience with this).

"Total coincidence."

"Total bullshit! We know your goddamn tricks! You are an _actual_ horndog." Naruto advanced on him slowly, still aiming a finger at Kiba's chest.

Kiba made a concerted effort to keep his hackles down. He wasn't used to being confronted about where he'd spent the night, and it felt especially stupid in this instance considering he'd spent the night fully-clothed on a couch, no dick out or nothin'. He glared back at Naruto. "I was on the run, dude, all ports in a storm. And you know how fuckin' weird it is you still flip your shit over _Sakura-chan_? She can handle herself, stop bein' a twat."

Naruto's mouth fell open, but he was cut off by Sasuke saying casually, "Sakura corroborated his story." He stared at Kiba again. "Did I not mention that part either?"

Kiba ground his teeth quietly, wondering if being a dickhole was an inborn Uchiha trait. Naruto watched him with narrowed eyes, clearly still considering doubling down on his twattery. Sasuke chowed down on a second rice ball, watching the pair of them with flat eyes. Shikamaru lay there as if dead.

"Alright, I'll buy it," Naruto said. He let a foxy grin brighten his features back up. "Guess you are a truly humongous dick."

Kiba sneered, but further exchange was interrupted by a wallet thwacking Naruto in the side of the head. A crabby voice sounded from Shikamaru's corpse. "I will pay you all Kiba's money to quiet the fuck down."

* * *

"That's not a good look, Forehead."

Sakura roused from where she was slumped against the wall. Ino had snuck into the booth and was watching her, eyes sparkling.

Sakura yawned at her and sat forward. "Lies. I know you like to watch me sleep, you creep."

"It's true. The delicate gloss of drool is my favorite part." Ino held up Sakura's mostly empty coffee cup and waved two fingers at their waitress. Then she put it back down and propped her chin in her hands with an expression Sakura knew all too well. "Sooooo what's this I hear about Kiba spending the night?" Ino's joy was disgusting.

"You can't have heard much," Sakura said, gazing wistfully at the steaming pot heading for their table.

"My source was spotty, I'll admit. So fill me in. Did you get…_ filled in_?" Ino bobbed her eyebrows and grinned. Sakura snorked. Their waitress looked like she also wanted to know, but deposited a mug for Ino, replenished them, and moved off to pretend she wasn't eavesdropping.

"Sorry, ladies," Sakura addressed the assembly, "No filling, just a night of being collateral to the debauchery of others."

Ino pouted. "Well _that's_ a major drag. I thought you finally got laid."

Sakura hummed agreement and sipped, letting her fifth caffeine dose of the day infuse.

Ino stirred cream into her coffee. "This dry spell of yours is untenable. Like, I'm not even going through it, but god, girl…" She took a grave swallow, "This is torture."

Sakura leaned back. "Why, are you starting to feel guilty about telling me how much awesome sex you're having?"

"God no, but it reminds me of when I wasn't having as much awesome sex, which is a real bummer." Ino rested her chin on her hand again. "Besides, we're in a shinobi village chock-full of juicy man meat. Some might even say our cups runneth over with quality dong. There's got to be _somebody_ who can warm your loins."

Sakura gave a hefty sigh. "I've been picking up doubles since Shizune took that delegation to Suna to streamline their medical system. Between that and this new teaching rotation, I'm swamped. Tsunade-sama has a whole new practicum set up." She briefly let go of her lifesaving beverage to massage her scalp with able fingers. "My loins are too busy to lure any man meat. And unlike you, I can't flip my hair and have men slobbering at my feet for a chance to take me out."

Ino eyed her sternly. "That is absolute horseshit and you know it. Dudes would be all over you if you didn't let your thorns grow out too much for them to get close." She swallowed more java, then acknowledged, "That and you have a near impenetrable wall of men already surrounding you. The thorns are overkill, really."

Sakura pursed her lips, as this was a fair point. She was a harsh critic all on her own, but the cloud of male nonsense around her had grown thick over the years. In a way, it was astonishing that any men pursued her at all. Naruto had been protective from Day 1, and Sasuke was very accomplished at looming like dread personified. Sai took special pride in discomfiting new men in her vicinity, Yamato never liked anyone as a matter of principle, and while Kakashi pretended to trust her judgment, she knew he'd made a number of after-hours housecalls "to talk" to new suitors. Naturally, the permanent men in her life had already figured out she loved them too much to actually kill them for their bad behavior, and all the guys they'd driven away had been mediocre at best anyway. Sakura had secretly adopted their gauntlet as her own metric for quality. There was no proof of correlation, but Sakura suspected a worthwhile man would come through with minimal scarring. But that was neither here nor there at the moment, she was _busy_.

Ino was still mulling. "It'd be so perfect if you could just date one of them, they're already used to roughing each other up." She gazed at nothing, tapping her nails on the tabletop. "You know… Kiba's not exactly one of your boys, but he, like, lives in their neighborhood, so to speak. Why _not_ him?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You say that like I specifically invited him to sleep on my couch with the purpose of denying myself sex."

Ino winked. "Not to call a spade a spade, but…"

"His booze breath was hard to resist, but what can I say, I'm married to my impossible standards."

"What do your standards say about Dog Boy when he's _not_ smashed?"

Sakura stared into her coffee, pretending she had never thought about this before.

Kiba was similar to Naruto in a number of ways, as both were impetuous and prone to bragging. Inuzuka had a touch more charisma, however, and definitely topped Uzumaki in smooth-talking. Also, having seen both men with their shirts off in recent years, Sakura knew that Kiba's muscular torso stirred up _very_ different feelings in her. Her mind unhelpfully conjured the image of his strong shoulders from that morning, and she shifted in her seat, frowning at the drink in her hands.

There was also the matter of a peculiar thing that had happened when they were 17 involving sake and rain and silly mouths laughing up against each other that Sakura had never told anyone about, _especially_ not Ino. Kiba had acted so normal about it after, it hardly seemed worth mentioning. They'd been young. What better excuse was there for reckless affection?

Ino noted the range of facial expressions Sakura displayed and grinned behind her mug. "No immediate veto? And we know he can take a beating, so that's an overall plus. Sounds like a solid candidate." She tossed her head to readjust a few stray bangs. "Or you can have Daisuke. I'm cutting him loose."

Sakura scoffed, only mildly surprised at this revelation. "And why should I want him if you're dumping him?"

"Well, I'm not dumping him on account of his bedroom skills. Waste not." Ino wiggled her eyebrows again.

"I distinctly remember you saying you were having fun with this one." Sakura punctuated this with a look over the rim of her mug.

"Exactly, _fun._" Ino shrugged. "Then he got all dopey and serious about me, so out he goes."

Sakura drained her coffee and signaled for more. "They _all_ get dopey and serious about you."

"Yup, and then they all get turfed. It's not like I don't warn them." Ino smiled at their waitress as she arrived with fresh bean juice.

Sakura chuckled, presenting her mug for refill. "Well, it's rare to encounter a land-based siren. Poor guys really have no idea what they're getting into."

Ino leaned on the table. "Fortunately for me, I refuse to be responsible for male foolishness."

"Hear, hear." Sakura said, clunking her mug against Ino's. "So have you been considering your next prospect?"

"Like I need to bother," Ino said, which was accurate considering there were always moths jostling to be burnt by her flame. Then she got thoughtful, pouting her lips a little. "Though you know, the other day Shino came into the flower shop, and he was looking at some pots on the floor, like really inspecting them, so of course I go over to help, and we're talking about what he's looking for, and then he points at something insect-relevant in one of the pots, so I lean over…" She gave Sakura a look. "That man is hiding a godlike jaw behind that stupid collar." Ino sipped her coffee, arching a brow. "Makes me wonder what else he's got in that bulky jacket."

"The mind boggles," Sakura said. "But Shino's a sweetheart, don't go inflicting your feminine wiles on him."

"Aw come on, we could double date! You can seduce Dog Boy and I'll let Shino give me butterflies." Ino fluttered her eyelashes ridiculously.

Sakura chuckled into her coffee. "Kiba is such a Lothario, I'm not sure he'd know how to respond if the tables were turned on him."

Ino nodded sagely. "Doubt he'd take it lying down, but you can probably convince him if you're both naked."

* * *

Gray clouds gathered overhead, rumbling with spring rain and matching Kiba's darkening mood. He picked his way through the woods that guarded the back of the Inuzuka compound. He was desperate for a too-hot shower, but also desperate to avoid talking to any of his family members. His window was always unlocked for this exact reason.

He crept into his room and listened carefully at the door. All was quiet, so he stripped off and took his time washing away the night's horrors. Then he slipped on some loose shorts, pulled the curtains, and starfished on the bed. He was asleep in minutes.

Some time later, Kiba's eyes cracked open. Rain was drumming on the roof. Scuffling at the door announced his furry partner, who was long-practiced in opening doors by his own damn self. Akamaru looked far too cheerful for Kiba's taste, so he turned away on his side, closing his eyes again. He heard the door nudge shut, followed by snuffles as his dirty clothes were nosed through.

A rascally grunt. '_Seems you had a busy night.'_

"That's a word for it."

The gravelly staccato of Akamaru's laughter grated on his ears. His headache was coming back. He sat up to dig pain killers out of his bedside table.

'_Extra glad I skipped it then. Thanks for bringing some smells back for me, you know I like 'em rank.' _

"I do it all for you," Kiba muttered, stalking into the bathroom to drink directly from the tap.

'_Grouse all you want, you're the one zooming the girls doused in cheap body spray.' _

"This one zoomed me, FYI. Not my pick." Kiba flopped back on the bed.

More thoughtful snuffling. _'The other one smells much better. Why'd you give the stinky one an opening?' _

"Didn't _give _any—" Kiba's brain needed more rest. "What other one?"

'_The pleasant scent of… oh, that's right, Haruno Sakura. The Fifth's apprentice, top medic, kunoichi extraordinaire…' _The dog hummed in mock evaluation. _'I see. Way too good for you.'_

Kiba picked his head up to glare at his compadre, whose squinty eyes betrayed amusement. "I'm not in the mood, man."

'_Alright, I'll give you shit later then.'_ Akamaru stretched luxuriously and climbed up to loll against Kiba's side. The warmth was comforting, and his dog's steady breathing sighed counterpoint to the rain as Kiba floated back into dreams.

_For the first time in a while, all eleven of them were in the same place at the same time. The brutal summer heat lingered even as the last rays of sunlight faded over the horizon, and they mingled awkwardly under the festival lights until proximity and warm memories broke down the hurriedly constructed trappings of adulthood they clung to. _

_War was hell, but here they were together, alive and still tender underneath it all. _

_He tried not to look at her too often. He had other friends to catch up with, but she was sweet and seventeen and still too bright for his heart to ignore. _

_She was also still waiting for tall, dark, and handsome (asshole). He wanted to hate her for it, but his heart was stubborn and admired her loyalty instead. _

_The night deepened with the help of simmering thunderheads. A covert sake jug made the rounds. Some brave soul had requisitioned the Fifth's stash. The warmth in their throats pulled laughter from their bellies and they relished in the playfulness, bumping shoulders, cracking jokes. _

_A too-hard shove started a chase. Everybody scattered, giggling and shouting like children. He ran down an alley, tickled and breathless, and charged straight into her._

_The fates smiled, and the heavens opened._

_The rain was cool on the back of his neck. He hissed at new bruises, as did she. A nearby yell signaled incoming antics and she jumped to her feet, her smile a beacon in the darkness as she grabbed up the sake she'd brought along. He was weak to the light in her eyes and followed without hesitation._

_They dashed into the shadows of a shop entrance in time to avoid being seen and caught in the game with no rules. The rain helped hide them, covered their rapid breathing, and he tried to slow his heart rate in vain as her quiet laughter caressed his ear. She sat, then he, and they passed the jug between them, stifling giggles about absolutely nothing. _

_She leaned against his arm and he melted into her, telling himself it was the sake, and it was the sake, but also her body heat and her smell, so close, so close! _

_He was giddy, and he told her so. She looked at him (so close, so close!) and it was summer, but her eyes were spring, and his heart couldn't stand it anymore. They were so close, a storm-kept secret, and in the space of a breath his mouth was on hers._

_Her lips burned him straight through, more than the sake had, and he thought he'd never be so lucky again. Then she smiled against him and kissed him back, and his heart stopped from sheer exhilaration. _

_A new unvoiced game began, loser gets kissed, winner gets kissed more. _

_Neither liked to lose. _

_And the rain tumbled down._

Kiba awoke to the pounding of a downpour. He blinked at the ceiling, clenching one hand in dog fur as he tried to reorient himself in reality. Light streamed across his bed from the open doorway. Hana stood there watching him.

"Merr?" Kiba said astutely.

Hana crossed her arms over her unwieldy belly. "Just checking on you. I always worry when you're too quiet."

Kiba released a jaw-cracking yawn. "Alright, _Mom._"

"Damn straight," Hana said. She padded into the room and sniffed at his laundry pile. "Have fun with the boys?"

'_Not as much fun as he had with the girls,' _Akamaru grumbled, stretching out a little more on his side.

Sometimes Kiba hated having no secrets. He sat up, rubbing his hands over his face irritably. "You can smell the bar on my clothes just like you'd be able to smell sex on 'em. Do you? No, so lay off."

Akamaru huffed out a laugh. There was just enough light in the room to show the questioning tilt of Hana's mouth as she stared at him.

Kiba dropped his hands and bared his teeth at his sister. "What, is it a fuckin' surprise I wasn't all horned up after being slut-shamed by my own goddamn family?"

Hana shrugged at him. "I just asked how your night was."

"It sucked. Think I'll become a monk." Kiba flopped down again and put his back to the furry heater encroaching on his space.

His sister clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Alas, is the end of days come so soon?"

"Yup. Handing in my penis tomorrow, it's nothing but trouble," Kiba growled, shoving an arm under his pillow. He grimaced at the wall, willing her to leave.

"Think I'll stay home then," Hana said, "Avoid the riots."

Kiba threw a pillow at her.

* * *

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	3. Just Friends

4/1/20 Edit: smoothing the flow.

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* * *

**3\. Just Friends**

* * *

It was a week later and Kiba was once again waking up to shooting pain, this time in his left foot. The rogue takedown mission had been a great success, if one overlooked the team having to chase a few jerks who slipped the leash after the initial strike. This added a couple days to their projected timeline, as those fuckers had clearly been training for a marathon when they weren't busy causing mayhem and property damage. And Kiba hauled ass with the best of them, but really, slipping on loose gravel could happen to anybody.

He rotated the foot experimentally, which turned out to be a bad idea, and cursed to himself as he disentangled it from the sheets. He rested his mangled limb on the bulk of Akamaru next to him, who farted quietly in sympathy.

Someone knocked on the door. Kiba inhaled damp earth and a hint of cinnamon: Shino.

"Kiba. It's Shino. May I come in."

Kiba stared dull annoyance at the ceiling. "Who?"

"Shino. Your teammate."

Kiba ground his palms into his eyeballs. "Oh, _that _Shino… of course you can come in, dumbass."

Shino did so, shutting the door behind him. Kiba didn't bother getting up.

"I take it you had a good mission."

" 's alright."

Shino nodded gravely. Kiba waited for further pronouncement. None came forth. He lifted his head the tiniest amount to look at his friend. "You here for a reason, or just hangin' out?"

Shino stepped around to Kiba's side of the bed and perched at the end, back irritatingly straight. "I am just hanging out."

Kiba closed his eyes again. "Mm. Carry on then."

The silence grew long and prosperous.

At length, Shino interrupted Kiba's drowsing. "Hana let me in the house. Your clan is celebrating something today. I know because they are gathering at the gate and very excited. I asked Hana about it. She said your great aunt is arriving for a visit."

"Hmm." Kiba was unaware of this, but he'd gotten back from his mission in the wee hours. It's not like anybody told him anything around here anyway.

Shino carried on thinking about bug facts, or whatever it was he did when he sat in silence. Kiba drifted, sluggish and mildly vexed. He wanted to go back to sleep for real. He'd been having a sexy dream before his damn foot woke him up.

This super fun hang time was interrupted by his mother's fist battering the door. "Get your clothes on and your ass outside!" Kiba aimed a tired middle finger at the door. Shino tutted his disapproval. Kiba ignored him in favor of limping to the dresser to pull out some pants.

Shino reached back to give Akamaru a few steady pats. "I suppose your aunt is here."

"Whoop-di-friggin'-do."

"You don't like your aunt."

Kiba's foot was not cooperating in his efforts to clothe. He limped back to his bed to sit and put on his pants like an invalid. "Don't know 'er. Grab me a shirt."

Shino obliged, rummaging in the dresser as Kiba stood on his good leg and zipped up. Shino held a shirt out to him like a butler, nodding at his foot. "You should get that looked at."

Kiba gave his friend a face that said _duh_, then jiggled the bed as he yanked the shirt over his head. "Can you give me a ride, bud?"

Akamaru yawned acquiescence and thudded onto the hardwood, padding over to let Kiba saddle up. The three of them headed out to the yard, and Kiba felt himself once more the subject of curious glances as many dark eyes flashed between him and the road. A carriage was approaching the compound, glossy black trimmed with burgundy, pulled by a large ox.

"The king deigns to join us at last," Tsume said, eyes still on the carriage as Akamaru trotted Kiba over. Kiba's temper seethed once he realized that comment was directed at him, but Shino was keeping pace and jabbed him with a patient elbow. It hardly mattered, since his mother could smell sass. She turned her sharp gaze on him. "_Behave_." Kiba forcefully exhaled his urge to lash back. It wasn't worth the fallout.

The carriage pulled into the yard and off-loaded a spick-and-span old woman. Her gray hair was twisted in an elegant up-do, and the understated kimono she wore oozed _I paid a lot of money to look this plain_. The woman raised a graceful hand at a few people in greeting, then strode up to Tsume with arms extended, crying out, "My dear, it has been far too long!" She grabbed Tsume's face and scanned it with discerning eyes. "The years have been kind, child. But your branch always did have excellent genes. Now then, I believe this good-looking boy astride the hound is yours?" Keen eyes turned on Kiba, and the old woman gave him a gallant smile. "He could be a mirror image of you, Tsume dear. _If _you were a strapping young man, of course!" She cackled at her own lame humor.

His mother's glare was scalding. "He'd be more strapping if he stood up to greet people properly."

"Got a bum foot, Ma. Ran down some motherfu- er, _miscreants_ on my mission." Kiba pulled a word Shino loved to use. No cussing in front of company.

"Blunt. Refreshing! An admirable quality in young handsome men." The old woman's eyes sparkled. She put a calming hand on Tsume's arm. "I take no offense, dear. Let us retire inside and get reacquainted, then we can settle down to the task at hand."

Hana had tea and fancy cakes waiting for them in the living room, which was a good deal cleaner than the last time Kiba had seen it. Hana gave the old woman as polite a bow as she could over her belly and served everyone, Shino included, though Kiba was unsure why he was still there. The old woman took an appreciative mouthful of tea, then turned her whole body towards Kiba, who had been steered onto the couch next to her by his mother's unyielding hand. She briefly scrutinized Shino holding up the wall behind them, collar down to drink his own tea, and nodded her regard.

"And he even has winsome friends… That bodes well for securing a winsome match." Her shrewd eyes settled back on Kiba, who started to sweat like a whore in church. The old woman's smile took on an odd gleam, and she sat back with a business-like air. "You may call me Auntie Hachiko, my dear. Now, I hear you are somewhat of a wild young buck, yes?"

Kiba didn't know what kind of answer she was looking for and shoved a bite of cake in his mouth. He heard his mother's growl, but pretended he didn't. Auntie Hachiko chortled.

"Oh, your mother was the same way at your age, mounting any hot-blooded stud that took her fancy and riding him off to kingdom come!" She said with a simper. Kiba shared a discreet gross-out look with his sister. Tsume quaffed tea, unembarrassed. Auntie Hachiko continued, fluttering a hand as if to dispel any concerns like flies. "It is not a problem. I encourage you to continue, in fact. I find virility is best sustained by frequent rehearsal."

Kiba now downright hated the direction this was going. He'd pondered what _old-school protocol _might mean in the absence of anyone giving him a real answer. This situation was taking a dismal shape. Perspiration trickled between his shoulder blades and he fidgeted. The old woman talked on in spite of his discomfort. "I have a special skill with this type of match. We Inuzuka are not traditionalists, but you would be surprised how many fine women are amenable to a marriage that includes sexual freedom."

MARRIAGE flared in Kiba's head in brilliant neon. He'd required binge drinking and violence to process the baby concept. None of those things were in immediate reach, and he choked on air. Shino stepped forward and whacked him on the back while he sputtered.

"I am the finest matchmaker for a reason, you know." Auntie Hachiko finished her spiel with aplomb, sniffing primly and sipping her tea like Kiba wasn't having a coronary right next to her.

As she drained her cup, the old lady gestured for him to stand. Shock made him docile and Kiba did so, leaning heavily on the arm of the couch, a faint rushing in his ears. She also stood, beckoning him to lean down with a kind old lady smile. Kiba's heart thumped with nerves, but she simply ran wrinkled fingers through his hair, murmuring about its thickness. Then she turned his head from side to side, eyes bright and humming approval, as Kiba had no bad angles.

Then she shoved her hands in his mouth. Kiba reared back, but the woman had a solid hold on his molars.

"Excellent teeth! Very comely fangs, just like your mother. A good and strong jaw as well. Good size of tongue. Ladies like a good tongue to be sure, my dear!" The old woman removed her hands and wiped his saliva on a napkin from his helpful mother, then proceeded to run her palms over his limbs, grasping muscles ("Exceptional tone, dear, you do take care with your physique"), pulling at his shirt to check the skin on his torso, crouching to examine his legs ("Strong, strong, you are quite a specimen!"). Kiba should have seen her next angle coming, but was frankly still stunned from the hands-in-mouth thing and not paying attention. So when spindly fingers firmly squeezed his junk, he jumped a mile, landing on his bad foot amidst a litany of swearing already in progress.

Auntie Hachiko straightened back up, smiling like a cat that got the canary and then sniped all the birds in the yard. "_That_ certainly seems more than satisfactory. I cannot imagine you have had any complaints, my dear. Ah, more tea, I think?" She sat daintily back on the couch as if she hadn't just groped a man more than forty years her junior in front of his family. Hana coughed in a way that sounded an awful lot like laughing and rose to refill the old woman's cup. Kiba clenched his teeth as fury lanced up his spine because _what the fucking fuck._

"I must be thorough, you understand. The ladies also must know what they are getting!" Auntie Hachiko gazed at him with an arch smile. "Would you like to discuss your preferences for matches?"

"I need… to go to the hospital." Kiba managed to grind the words out of his throat. Akamaru appeared at his side.

"Ah yes, you must heal your foot, of course!" The old woman waved him towards the door. "I would like to have a look at your gait when you are better."

His goddamned clan was so concerned with his long-term stud potential that they'd brought this woman in to _quite literally_ measure him like a show dog and put him through his paces. Kiba saw red.

He didn't come out of his rage-induced black-out until they were safely away from the compound. Akamaru was bearing him along, a reliable steed, and the hospital was coming into view ahead.

Shino's low voice came from his right. "That was interesting."

Kiba made a strangled sound and clenched his fingers in Akamaru's scruff. Akamaru grumbled and picked up the pace.

Shino did all the talking when they got to the front desk. Kiba was oblivious to the receptionist's coquettish tone as she tried to get his attention with some bullshit paperwork. Shino took charge of the clipboard in his complaisant way, since Kiba couldn't be trusted not to bite heads off yet.

Something pleasant wafted through the lobby, summer fields and honeysuckle, lightly tinted with antiseptic. The smell cut through Kiba's temper like a hot knife through butter and his head jerked around. And of course it was Sakura strolling down the hall, rattling something off to the nurse keeping step beside her while scarfing large bites of a protein bar. Kiba swallowed, feeling a little warm all of a sudden. Green eyes swept over his face, kicking his pulse up a few notches, and he swallowed again. The warmth was making him thirsty.

Sakura trailed off in her account as she took in their motley crew. The nurse beside her flicked her eyes up momentarily, pen still moving. "Who are they, doctor?"

"Walk-ins, by the look of it," Sakura said. "Can we pick this up again later?" The nurse bowed, and Sakura approached the desk, stuffing the last of her protein bar in her mouth. "I'll take them, Noriko."

"Oh look. It's Sakura," Shino observed. And Kiba looked, because he liked looking at Sakura and needed little urging to do so in this moment. Akamaru wagged his tail like a madman.

The receptionist seemed surprised. "Isn't your shift over, Doctor Haruno?"

Sakura gave her a sunny smile. "It's okay, I know these guys. They get special privileges." Then she turned her smile on Kiba and said, "So what brings you in?"

Kiba abruptly forgot what words were. Sakura watched him for a moment in mute question, then addressed Shino. "Brain damage?"

Shino was solemn. "He hurt his foot."

Sakura grabbed Kiba's chart from the receptionist and headed down the hall to an examination room. "Highly lethal."

Kiba managed to croak out, "It's a mission injury, you fucks."

Shino's amusement was tangible. "He's having a rough day."

Sakura nodded absently, skimming the chart. "He's also due for his biannual physical for ANBU. Good timing, I love efficiency."

Sakura entered the room first and held the door open for them. Shino lowered himself into the friends-and-family chair. Kiba hoisted himself off Akamaru and onto the exam table. His canine partner plodded over to lean against Shino's knees, grinning as he panted.

"I'll deal with the foot first, unless there are any objections," Sakura said, pulling out the extension at the end of the table.

Kiba reclined onto his back, stretching his legs out. Sakura pushed up his pant leg and removed the shoe from his injured foot with gentle hands. He grit his teeth the tiniest bit when his shoe tugged coming off, but made no sound. Her eyes flickered to his face and along his tense jaw, then back. She moved his foot around carefully, muttering about swelling, then pressed chakra in to assess from the inside. Kiba lay his head back. It had been a while since he'd felt the swirl of her energy, years. It made him think of streams gushing with winter snowmelt, mingled as always with the vibrant green undercurrent that was uniquely hers.

"Textbook rolled ankle," Sakura pronounced after a minute. "I can heal the ligaments, which technically fixes it, but you'll need to stay off it as much as possible for 24 hours. I'll wrap it up to keep it stable and flush out the remaining swelling."

"Three cheers for chakra healing," Kiba intoned as she closed her eyes and commenced her chakra micro-surgery. It was more uncomfortable than painful, but he still took the opportunity to breathe deeply and distract himself with her scent. At this intimate range, new notes infused the warm grass and flower sweetness, a luscious bloom of spice that made Kiba's heart race. A vision of Sakura hovering over him wearing _only _a lab coat appeared unbidden, and he bit his lip severely, wondering if maybe he needed to focus on something else.

Shino spoke up. "Your aunt will have to wait to watch you walk."

This comment was highly effective at forcing blood to his face instead. Sakura wouldn't have understood it, but she was close enough to feel Kiba's anger ratchet back up. She slid her supporting hand further up his calf and massaged calming chakra into the muscle. He relaxed, breathing out through his nose. She continued healing micro tears and launched into small talk. "So your aunt has come to visit?"

Kiba tensed up again, not wanting to even try and explain to her. She pumped more soothing energy into his system in response and said, "I'm with you, family visiting always stresses me out. It's like, I'm busy enough, but now I have to make a casserole for this cousin who never shuts up about how he used to hold me down and fart on me when we were kids? Hard pass."

Shino spoke again. "Your cousin sounds very rude."

"Indeed." Sakura opened her eyes as she withdrew her chakra and winked at Kiba, whose heart stuttered. She noticed that his lip was bleeding and reached up to graze over it with a delicate spark of chakra that he felt all the way to his toes. Then she pulled an elastic bandage out of a drawer, well-practiced hands swaddling his newly-fixed ankle with remarkable speed. She kept her eyes on task, pressing her lips together as she worked. Kiba kept his eyes on her lovely face, and wished she'd press her lips on his instead. His hot blood was rushing around again.

"There, all done!" Sakura gave his ankle dressing a final squeeze of benediction and moved off to scribble notes in his chart. He sat up slowly, raking her figure with his gaze.

"Weren't you gonna give me a physical?"

* * *

Surely she was imagining the insinuation in his tone. Or maybe it was wishful thinking. _I NEED TO GET LAID. This is ridiculous. _Her pen creaked and she relaxed her grip with effort.

"Two in one day. Bad luck, but I think you will enjoy this one more." Shino's voice was wicked.

Sakura heard the table creak as Kiba made to hop off, but she was close enough to spin and catch his shoulder. She was surprised to see him baring his teeth, eyes boring into his friend with menace, and he had the nerve to snarl at her as she shoved him back down. Sakura hit him with her patented _try it, dipshit_ sneer, then directed her attention to Shino. "You can kill each other later. Wait outside please."

Akamaru followed Shino out with a raspy groan directed at his human, who glared at him. Sakura pushed the door shut behind them with her foot before releasing her iron grip. She crossed her arms and fixed Kiba with a stern look. "I don't know what's going on, but if you fuck your foot up this quickly after healing, so help me, I'll send you home with ice to convalesce like a normal person."

It was her strongest threat for workaholic shinobi, and Kiba's shoulders lowered as intended. Sakura pulled a hospital gown out of a cabinet and tossed it at him, pulling the privacy curtain across. "You know the drill."

She stared at the ceiling idly until the rustling behind the curtain stopped, then waited for a prompt to approach. Kiba saved her the trouble and pulled the curtain back himself, revealing an expanse of tanned skin interrupted only by the ANBU tattoo on his shoulder and a fetching pair of boxer briefs. He gave her a cocky grin and settled back on the exam table, making a point of being cautious with his bandaged foot.

Sakura blinked as her brain stalled, and she laughed weakly. "You're supposed to put the gown on, dummy."

"Just gets in the way. No point." Kiba was watching her, eyes alight. "And I actually wore underwear today, so."

"That you did…" Sakura's eyes meandered down the deliciously defined chest and abs, brushing over the deep indent of a scar, tracing the cut Adonis belt down to where it disappeared into the aforementioned underwear. She was a fan of boxer briefs on an athletic man, and these did not disappoint. They garnished his powerful thighs, attractively snug. She caught herself before her gaze could flit over his crotch, but looked back up like an idiot.

Kiba's eyes caught hers, smile stretching wide on his stupid handsome face, and she wanted to pull her head inside her body. For shame, _she was a professional. _Professionals were reserved and objective. Professionals did not eye-fuck their patients.

_Gods sakes, woman. _

"Alrighty!" Her hands clenched on the chart like it was a life preserver. Sakura could feel his gaze like a touch and knew her face was rapidly matching her hair. She rolled her shoulders back, adjusting her posture. "Let's get on with it. Have you had any new health developments?"

"Nah."

Sakura nodded and moved to the next queries. "Let's see, job: jounin and special operative. Relationships: daily."

"Hoo, you tryin' to zing me, Doc?" Kiba's fangs turned his smile impish.

"It's important to be honest on medical documents, sir." Sakura put on her most somber doctor face and eyed him. Kiba's jaw dropped slightly, expression shifting to faux-scandalized. They stared at each other until Sakura snort-laughed. Kiba chuckled along, and Sakura let the mirth take her tension. She was being stupid.

Because this was _Kiba_. It was Kiba, and they were just friends. He was in his underwear, and he was attractive, and they could still make dumb jokes together because they were _just friends._

Satisfied she'd circumvented her jerk brain, Sakura traded the chart for a blood pressure cuff and stepped closer to her good friend to wrap the cuff around his tastefully sculpted bicep _goddamn it GODDAMN IT. _Kiba flicked his eyes up and smacked her with another devastating smile. He could probably smell the sweat that was starting to creep out of her skin. She almost wished he was barfing again so she'd have something gross to focus on.

His blood pressure was fine. Great. Hers was somewhere in the stratosphere, but she wasn't the patient. Good. She noted it, then went ahead and ticked off all the visual checks since she'd given him a thorough once-over already (conclusion: also fine, _so fine_). Sakura whipped her scope out quick in the hope that a nice ear canal would be unsexy enough to douse her libido. What a time for her vibrator to break.

She filled the warm silence with small talk. "We haven't caught up in a while. How are things?"

Kiba grimaced as she inspected his ears. "Tryin' to impress the higher-ups enough t—", he jolted in discomfort as her scope assaulted his nostrils, "—to make squad captain." He narrowed his eyes at her as she ejected the disposable specula. "Hell, Doc, buy a guy dinner first."

Sakura was unable to stop the crooked smile this comment induced. She aimed the scope light at his black eyes. His elongated pupils were sharp, feral, evaluating. Her heart thumped and she swallowed, saying quietly, "Tongue out."

Kiba did as she commanded, still looking at her (_she was right in front of his face, how could he not_). Sakura swallowed again and dropped the scope back in her pocket, readying her stethoscope. She wrapped her hand around the chest piece and pressed it into him like a priest trying to exorcise demons, only the demons were in her own head, and they were trying to tempt her into sexy things instead of killing people.

He sucked in a breath—she'd forgotten to warm the chest piece. "Oop, sorry," she muttered, staring at the wall behind him to concentrate on his heartbeat. It was strong, as all his muscles seemed to be (I said _down_ _girl_). She shifted the chest piece to listen to his lungs. "So, captain… That'll be quite the achievement."

"Eventually." His tone went husky. "What've you been up to? You keep skippin' happy hour." Sakura felt his gaze again as she replaced the stethoscope around her neck, and met it briefly.

"Oh, this and that…" She moved to check his lymph nodes, fingers massaging under his jaw. A purr rumbled through her hands.

"That feels good." Kiba's voice was enticingly liquid. She kept her eyes on his throat, ignoring the shiver trying to claw up her spine, and made a mad dash for her small talk safe zone.

"I'm trying to get back into mission rotation, actually. I've been doing a lot of teaching over the past year, which is great, but I need a change. Hopefully Tsunade-sama agrees." Sakura cleared her throat. "On your back please."

Kiba arched a brow at her and she almost swallowed her tongue. She turned away and coughed violently. As she regained her composure, she heard him say, "Knew it. You wanted to have your way with me all along." His superior tone pricked her temper, but the wound was forgotten when she looked up. He'd stretched out on his left side and propped himself up with that elbow, other arm resting on top of his bent right knee as he angled himself towards her, looking for all the world like an underwear model ready for his close-up.

Sakura felt her jaw loosen. Her wide eyes slid up to Kiba's face. He wiggled his eyebrows at her and dangled his tongue obscenely. She cracked and had to lean on the exam table to hold herself up as she belly-laughed. It wasn't _that_ funny, but she was kind of losing her marbles here. She met his laughing gaze again and shook her head at him, then pushed him flat, mashing a hand into his abdomen a little more roughly than was standard. His grin floated in her peripheral vision.

"Be good to get another medic out there." His tone went gruff, from the discomfort of her prodding his organs, she imagined. "Pulverizin' guts."

"Our specialty," Sakura stated seriously, then patted his tummy to signal that she was done. "Feels like you'll hold together for another six months." She noticed Kiba's skin felt very hot under her hands and quickly stepped away to cool off with the supremely un-arousing activity of charting. Technically she was supposed to ask if he'd noticed anything off about his testicles, but refused to risk this turning into an actual porno situation. There was a solid chance he would just flash her for the joke and Sakura was wavering dangerously.

"Alright, we're done here. Go by the lab on your way out for the urine test and blood work, then you're free to go," she said, scribbling and silently screaming at herself.

Kiba was rustling back into his clothes. "So, guess I'll be seein' you around more if you're gettin' back on the roster."

She fell for it—he'd cued her to look back at him just as he was easing his pants up over his hips. She flicked her eyes to his face, helpless. That damn smile spread across his face, and the slow drag of his zipper was loud in the small space between them. Then he turned to the exam table and treated her to a lovely show of his back flexing as he pulled his mesh undershirt on. Her gaze followed the hem as it came to rest over an appetizing backside before she yanked her eyes back into her head and got back to denting the chart with her furious writing.

She sensed him move to the door and open it. Out the corner of her eye, she saw his figure turn back towards her. "Thanks for the check-up, Doc." His tone was insultingly sensuous. Then he was gone. She immediately dropped the chart and smacked her head into her hands, resolving to track Ino down as soon as she was off shift. That girl always had good info on where to find a spare penis for the needy.

She gathered herself and exited the exam room, resolutely ignoring the foolish pounding of her heart. It was the result of too much caffeine, that's all.

* * *

_She'd let him get away with it._ He'd seen Naruto get pasted for so much less.

Kiba hadn't meant to take it beyond his Chippendale impression, a little jab at her for manhandling him onto the table, just wanting to throw her off her game. His underwear had done a serviceable job of that. Then she'd reacted in a way he hadn't expected.

Kiba had known that Sakura was over Sasuke for a while. She'd dated off and on over the years of his absence, but always men that were very evident placeholders. Everyone took for granted that Sasuke's return would preface Sakura's ever after, happy or otherwise.

When Sasuke had finally waltzed back into the village, he was ostensibly penitent for being such an adolescent prick. He was also still shitty. Of course, both Naruto and Sakura had welcomed him back with open arms, but first lavished him with beatings, which took him down a few pegs. Sasuke had opted to cover his embarrassment with rudeness. This gave rise to a generally perplexing phenomenon. Every nasty comment Sasuke made within earshot of Sakura resulted in her smacking him upside the head. This was a privilege previously only bestowed on Naruto, and sometimes Sai. Needless to say, it became clear that the energy between them had changed.

While this was an interesting development, Kiba had been up to his knees in one-night stands at that point. He'd been disinclined to change, mostly because he'd also been disinclined to be a passing fancy, as he'd presumed all Sakura's other dudes had been. Also, ultimately Sakura was a very dear friend, whatever else Kiba might have been feeling. Deep down, he'd been terrified she would scorn him, so he'd put away heated thoughts about pink hair and pink lips and other pink things he wasn't allowed to touch. Better friends than nothing, right?

...Only then he'd ended up at her apartment by pure chance. And then he'd dreamed about her. And then he'd dreamed about her some more. And then he'd taken a fresh hit of her scent, so his dreams were about to get _really fucking interesting_, emphasis on the fucking.

And she'd gotten his blood up, so he'd teased her. Then she'd frisked him with those vivid green eyes, flushed like a summer peach, and teased him back. His flirt mode had engaged in earnest at that point, which split the focus from his concurrent goal of not getting a boner (a challenge that would _definitely _end with him as a stain on the ground awaiting the janitor's mop if he failed). But he'd kept her off-kilter, made her laugh. The reverse striptease had been a risky decision but paid off spectacularly. However, this chain of events only served to force the question: now what?

The kisses at seventeen had been an isolated incident. Kiba had taken their snow-globe moment for what it was, a snapshot of rapture. He'd prayed time, maybe more distance would starve his heart of the rosy warmth it clung to. This hadn't worked. The memory of her lips haunted him. He was so haunted he almost walked right by his posse.

"That did not take as long as I thought it would." Shino undid his casual lean against the wall. Akamaru stood and shook himself in preparation for more transport duty. Kiba nodded, earlier anger supplanted by moderate turmoil.

Shino observed him for a moment. "I see that your mood has been much improved by a liberal application of Sakura. I had a prediction this would be so, but I was not aware quite how effective it would be."

Kiba's irritation came filtering back as he narrowed his eyes at his friend. He couldn't see much of Shino's expression as per usual, but the man smelled like mischief.

"I can see that you still seem to be going through some inner conflict." Shino lifted his head just enough to reveal the upturned corners of his mouth behind his collar. "You should tell me more details, because we are friends and that is what friends do."

Kiba considered refusing this reasonable request until his brain reminded him that his friend was the lesser of the evils in his life at the moment.

"I gotta go piss in a cup and get stabbed in the lab." He fixed Shino with a reluctant look. "I'll exchange info in return for asylum. No way in hell I'm sleepin' at my house tonight with that old bitch in residence." Kiba froze, dismayed. "Aw shitballs. What if she stays forever? I'll have to move."

* * *

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Who else didn't know that those disposable otoscope caps were called specula, show of hands. Just me?

Wanted to call Sasuke Prick Prickly in the last bit, a la Stick Stickly from Nickelodeon, but figured the reference wouldn't pan out.

The next chapter will feature Tsunade as: still the Hokage and Neji as: still alive.

Also thanks for reading, y'all.


	4. Escalating Tensions

5/15/20 editing again because emotional continuity is hard

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* * *

**4\. Escalating Tensions**

* * *

Sakura had arrived at the restaurant well before Ino with the express purpose of pre-gaming. It had been a damn long week, and given that Sakura had enforced an information diet of late (the only kind Ino didn't like), she anticipated a clash. As expected, the blonde had been trying to pull answers out of her like teeth, and now Sakura was weak from the combination of metaphorical pliers and friend guilt.

Ino chewed on her straw with extreme irritation. "You know how _ecstatic_ I was that you finally came to me for help?"

Sakura's shoulders slumped as she sank in her seat. "I tried. I gave each of them a fair chance."

"You didn't try shit."

"I went to dinner with both of them! And for the record, your quote unquote _sure_ _thing_ was actual slime."

Ino sloshed her margarita in admonishment. "What about Kyouya? There's no way he was anything less than a gentleman."

Sakura looked at Ino with dead eyes. "He was too much a gentleman. And _boring. _Spent the whole meal talking about himself and his job. Did you know that being an administrative director for the council means you get to pick which weight of paper gets stocked? Because _I_ sure do."

"Alright, so he's boring," Ino said, rolling her eyes at Sakura's critique, as if boredom was something unavoidable when dealing with men (which went a long way in explaining Ino's own commitment issues). "He's _hot_. If he wants to wag his tongue, sit on his face. Talking issue solved."

Sakura stirred her frozen sangria, the third she'd ordered since sitting down an hour ago. "I would've been happy to do so if he hadn't declared his intentions with astonishing directness when he walked me home." She paused to suck up a big gulp, then sighed morosely. "If I stick with him, I'll get some steamy handholding action by Date 3 for sure, but he 'could be persuaded to bump up the timeline if I play my cards right'. His exact words. Unfortunately, I'm scheduled to throw myself off a bridge before our next dinner. Not sure how he got past your screening."

"You like the well-mannered ones, and he really looked like he could get it done! Dude has a lot of nerve being genuinely dull and wearing pants that tight…" Ino shook her head, stunned at this unprecedented failure of her dick radar. Then her brows crinkled together and she puffed up again. "But if you wanted quick results, Yuuichi was the one-way express ticket to Cock City, so what gives?"

"What gives is I actually have self-respect," Sakura growled, slamming her glass down. "That skeeze had the waitress sit us on the same side of the booth, spoke strictly in innuendo, made sure I 'accidentally' sat on his hand two different times, and molested a perfectly innocent strawberry at dessert. If I never hear the phrase 'child-bearing hips' again, it'll be too soon."

Ino pursed her lips, unwilling to concede the point. "I'll admit I pulled him in off secondhand intel, so I'm sorry about the creep factor, but I needed a ringer." She pointed a pastel purple nail at Sakura. "That rec was purely about the schlong, and you squandered it."

Sakura threw up her hands. "_I tried._ The thought of letting his tentacle fingers any closer to my panties than he'd already managed made me physically ill. And keep in mind I cleaned burst spleen out of somebody a few hours prior, no sweat."

"Well geez, guess you'll just have to go back to your regular methods of man attainment," Ino huffed, looking put out as she poked at her margarita with her mangled straw. Then her expression slanted meddlesome as she fixed her baby blues back on Sakura. "What changed, anyway? You never want me to set you up, so why now?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, hoping Ino didn't notice her sudden onslaught of flop sweat. She tipped her head down to her drink, taking a slow sip, avoiding her friend's gaze. She hadn't told Ino about her more recent interaction with Kiba, that it was his teasing, his grin, his _body_ that had sent her into a horny tailspin.

They were _just_ _friends_. They'd never come close to having sex, and again, that kiss when they were seventeen was a write-off, so Sakura couldn't fathom why her control was shaken this badly by a little shirtless flirting. In light of her two most recent dates, however, the uncertain option Kiba presented twinkled at her like a beacon through the fog of disappointment. Why she was fighting with this so much? Sakura gnawed on her lip. Was it the friend thing? The idea of having sex with a friend _did_ feel a little too close to the precipice of feelings, closer than she dared. But out of all the people she considered friends, Kiba was also probably the best choice to have casual sex with, since it was a regular occurrence for him. Wouldn't that make it easier for her to divest herself of any emotions that might try and drag her under?

Emotions were a tricky subject for Sakura. As she'd matured, she'd discovered the sweet burn of physical desire and followed it to its shuddering conclusion many times with various men. The occasional consequence of developing feelings alongside this desire, however, was something she'd taken stringent measures to avoid. Sakura felt that her feelings frequently got in the way of accomplishment in her life. Her Sasuke years had been a highly effective demonstration of this, all that love poured out and nothing to show for it. Sasuke may have been a member of her ride-or-die family now, but back then he'd almost killed her multiple times and she'd _still _taken a few years to stop fantasizing about their wedding. Talk about pathetic. Luckily she'd beaten him up enough times by now that it wasn't embarrassing anymore.

So Sakura made sure to keep her nose to the grindstone and her lovers at arm's length. Some had tried to entice her further, but her heart was strictly business, solicitors shot on sight. This meant that on paper, Sakura's approach to dating was remarkably similar to Ino's, except Ino chewed up man hearts like some kind of romance werewolf. Sakura preferred to tell her more amorous paramours she was busy, then immerse herself in medical texts on a Saturday night and pretend she was having _so_ much more fun _learning_. But where her old lovers had been tolerably beguiling, Kiba was developing into an overwhelming temptation and they weren't even dating each other.

Her mind strayed back to the examination room. She brushed past the hot focus on his attractive frame and pictured his grin instead, his warm eyes intent on hers, easy-going and lively. Kiba was probably a whole lot of fun in bed. Had she ever had sex that was just plain _fun_? Maybe she was denying herself a seriously good time on the basis of semantics.

Abruptly the image shifted, releasing a few years of cares and battles, and she saw him standing next to Naruto at the ramen stand at seventeen, hip cocked, posture easy. She called to them, heart a quivering thing in her chest, the imprint of his lips fresh and electrifying. Naruto launched into his regular glee. Kiba put up a hand and smiled at her like nothing had happened. The quivering stilled.

Sakura mentally slapped herself and shoved that little spark of hurt into the darkest corner she could reach. She didn't need it. Kiba was her friend and he was a sexy idiot, and also she hated him and he could shove all his dumb flirting up his sexy ass. She massaged her face roughly, exhaling. She didn't have an answer to Ino's questions, at least not one that Ino wouldn't see straight through, and Sakura didn't feel up to the interrogation that would trigger. Sometimes it sucked having a best friend who could practically read minds even without her stupid memory scanning jutsu.

An irritated sigh wafted over the table at her, and she looked up. Ino was shaking her head slowly. "You know I'll get it out of you eventually, you may as well just spill. It's not like I don't already know every embarrassing thing about you." The blonde cocked an eyebrow. "What, have you got the hots for one of the junior doctors you're training? _Ooh_, did he come to your office with a question and, like, give you the stare-down while you explained it to him, get you all hot and bothered? OOOOH, did you have illicit teacher-student sex on your desk?!"

Sakura snorted, face grim. "Obviously not. Wouldn't need to come to you if I was already boinking one of the interns."

Ino sat back, disappointed. "I suppose that's true."

"Look, it doesn't matter. I'm going to channel all my frustrations into a mission," Sakura said. "I asked about being put back on active duty. Tsunade-sama was surprisingly agreeable."

Ino's eyes widened. "Ohhhh, so that's why my schedule shifted. You're taking my spot on the Kusagakure mission. That's cool, I've been meaning to get more involved at the hospital anyway. And imagine that, Tsunade-sama adjusted your busy schedule without issue, almost like you're her favorite or something." Ino raised her eyebrows and cocked her head a little.

Sakura gave a dismissive wave. "Eh, I think it's more that when I'm not around, she gets more time to yell at newer staff members. And older staff members. And patients that piss her off."

"Well, enjoy your trip. If you get some leisure time, there's a new bath house that's supposed to have a fantastic spa, and you are under strict orders to check it out. Do not fail me, I'll expect a full report, soldier." Ino eyed her sternly, slurping her margarita with authority.

Sakura saluted with her glass. "Aye aye, cap'n."

* * *

It was technically morning, but still dark. Kiba was busy putting his considerable shinobi talents to task liberating some clothes and ninja tools from the treacherous stronghold of his own house.

When Kiba finished his noiseless packing, he stripped out of his civvies and slid into the black canvas pants of his tactical uniform. He belted the heavy fabric from knee to ankle, slipping armor plates between layers of dark leather straps for shin protection. Next came the sleeveless black turtleneck over his head. He snugged black arm warmers halfway up on his biceps, affixed metal arm guards to his forearms. Next was the grey flak jacket strapped securely over his shoulders, then his armored gloves. He attached his ninja pouches to the back of his waistband with silent fingers, slid his sword into its diagonal resting position across his back, grabbed his shoes, and slipped out the window to join the rest of the shadows. He leaned against a tree to jam his feet into the special-issue spiked sandals, and secured his porcelain mask to his face before moving stealthily into the branches.

For the last week, Kiba had been crashing on Shino's couch. Also, he'd stayed true to his word and spilled some guts about _feelings._ Shino had done a creditable job listening with only a mild salting of wise-ass commentary, but had no real advice. The truth was there was no advice that could help anyway because at the end of the day, the choices were pretty straightforward: continue being a pussy or fuckin' sack up. Kiba reserved the right to take as long as he needed to mull these options over. After all, he'd gone this long without braving the potentially deadly climb over the friendship fence between him and Sakura, and it's not like anyone was pressuring him to make a decision. Besides, he loved pussy. It's not like that was a _bad_ thing to be.

He put on some speed, wanting to get to the gate well before their departure time of 0600 hours. Kiba was one of two ANBU escorting a delegate to the newly-declared Land of Hills, and he was looking forward to the quiet journey assured by black ops protocols, dictating that operatives only speak as necessary. This mission could not have come at a better time. Getting out of the village was fantastic for clearing his head.

This conveyance was one of a series of small olive branches the Hokage had been extending to the fledgling country, paltry back pats sanctioned by Fire Country's own daimyo. Good faith and diplomacy cloaked the reality: they were inspecting the underbelly of the tentative peace agreed upon after the Fourth Shinobi War. It was a surveillance op in the guise of an honor guard. Konoha remained strong enough to trust, but Konoha was also smart enough to quadruple check that shit. Needs must, hindsight could be a real bag of assholes.

The gate loomed up ahead in the flat pre-dawn light, and Kiba landed with a cool fifteen minutes spare. Neji was already there, long hair tied in a neat tail, distinct Hyuuga features hidden by a mask swirled over with thin lines of paint indicating his codename Hawk. Kiba's own mask denoted his codename of Boar, so bestowed because the Hokage had thought a wolf or dog too much of a giveaway. Kiba felt like it was still a big hint at his identity, as the sweeping strokes of tusks mimicked his natural fangs and clan tattoos in a similar bold red. Still, he couldn't argue with the woman's point that the designation was more about his pigheaded personality.

Neji turned his way, tilting his head in subtle greeting. "Feeling good?"

Kiba intertwined his fingers and pushed his arms forward, pulling the kinks out of his shoulders. He grinned behind his mask. "Feelin' scrappy as fuck."

Neji let out a low chuckle and crouched to give his hamstrings a stretch. Kiba hadn't worked with Neji much until he joined the stealth unit, but they made a compelling team. The pair warmed up in companionable silence until they felt approaching chakra, then stood to attention, and an invisible hand clamped around Kiba's throat.

Tsunade did not seem to be having a good morning, but she rarely did. She was grumbling about something, gesturing with controlled ferocity to the woman walking beside her, whose drab standard jounin clothes contrasted the shade of her hair, that sunrise pink still sleeping on the other side of the horizon.

Sometimes the fates were dicks. Wily insidious dicks.

"All right, listen up," Tsunade said, coming to a stop in front of them and planting hands on hips, "Your mission objectives stand as they were originally outlined, but I'm replacing Yamanaka Ino with Haruno Sakura. One skilled medic nin is as good as another in this case, and any idiot can be a diplomat. I'm sure the new daimyo doesn't care either way. Still, keep your eyes open. Stabilization processes make people antsy." She shared a look with her apprentice.

Sakura gave a curt nod, then addressed Neji. "Nice to work with you again, Hawk."

The taller man bowed his head in acknowledgment. Kiba shifted his stance without meaning to, tension thrilling in his limbs, and her eyes pinned him. "And nice to meet you, uh…"

"Boar." Kiba's voice came out hoarse. He licked his lips. The sudden onset of nerves did a passable job disguising his voice, if he needed a silver lining to cling to.

Sakura squinted her pretty eyes, scanning his painted features, then smiled. "I can see it now. Well met, Boar."

Neji turned for the gate, and Sakura fell into step behind him. Kiba followed along, senses rioting. Maybe he didn't have much to think about after all. Maybe it was simply do or die.

They moved into the trees after Sakura assured them she wanted to make good time. Neji took point, as he tended to, and Kiba tried to stay upwind of Sakura because it made it easier to focus on smelling for people who might be trying to kill them. After a while, he found himself falling back to move parallel with her. He casually glanced her way every so often on the pretense of getting a visual on their surroundings, never mind that Neji had that 110% handled with his all-seeing eyes. Sakura didn't seem to notice.

When Neji signaled they were stopping for the night, they landed in a small clearing and Sakura immediately got to work clearing a spot for a small fire. The Hyuuga signed that he'd take first watch. Kiba walked into the trees to gather some wood as Neji headed out to check the perimeter.

Then it occurred to him that he was alone with Sakura until watch change. Of course, she didn't know who he was, and he wasn't supposed to be talking anyway, but he was still going to be having a hard time with his goddamn nose. She was all sweaty from running, and he'd already been slapped with a whiff of that when the wind changed once (_indecently_ good). Oh yes, he was going to be having a _very _hard time, _wink wink,_ fuck everything.

She smiled up at him when he brought her his bundle of wood. He bit his tongue trying to get his other wood to mind its own business. Sakura whipped up a fire. Kiba sat down with his back against a tree, arms around his bent knees. The fire highlighted Sakura's features like a Renaissance painter, and Kiba swallowed roughly. It was gonna be a long night.

* * *

"This is simply amazing, Haruno." Sougen's voice was soft. "Amazing."

The man was sitting on a stool in front of her, stretching his torso without pain for the first time in years. Sakura kept her face schooled and professional, but inside she was doing a victory dance. Tsunade may not have been concerned about the diplomatic cover, but her personal goal had been to leave the Grass ninjas starry-eyed with gratitude. She seemed to be succeeding in this with her skillful undoing of an old war wound. The brand new daimyo of this territory, Juutoku Sougen, was formerly a jounin commander for the Hidden Grass who'd distinguished himself during the war. He'd also taken a deep kunai to the lower back, but dealt with it like most shinobi, meaning he'd ignored it until it started causing problems that couldn't also be ignored. After Sakura had healed the deep gnarl of scar tissue, it had still taken a few days to break up the resulting fascial rigidity that was twisting his entire back to the left. It was a slow and painful process, but Sougen tolerated it well and was rather charming in spite of his discomfort.

While Sougen was young for a daimyo and had no political bent, the citizens of Kusagakure had almost unanimously elected him. He'd joked with her that his lack of political interest was exactly what got him the job, but Sakura could see why the population (mostly shinobi) would choose a war general to be their political leader. The Land of Hills was previously a nameless battlefield for the bigger countries surrounding it, occupied only by the Hidden Grass and a few leery civilian villages. Sougen would have deeper insight into alliances than a career politician, but Sakura lacked knowledge to comment on his budget sense or possible bias regarding agendas for his hidden village. Military leaders tended to favor funding military endeavors.

Sakura mentally shook herself. The ANBU were taking care of the investigating part. She was here to heal.

Sougen was still mumbling quiet praise to himself. Sakura put a hand on his left shoulder and pushed gently, easing him further into the stretch as she ran her hand down the strong plane of his back, chakra skimming through the tissue. His muscle tone was already starting to even out, and the minor amount of re-adhesion was proof that he'd been doing the exercises she'd ordered. This boded well for him getting full strength and flexibility back. Sakura hummed her pleasure. She loved when patients listened. She moved her chakra hand up to his neck, smoothing her energy into the clenched muscles there. "Remember to extend the stretch along your neck too. Don't want you developing a different horrible kink in your spine."

His laugh was genial and attractive. "That would be bad. We'd have to put you on retainer."

Sakura smiled, lightly tapping his shoulder. He centered his torso, and she kneaded her thumbs up between his shoulder blades. "I'd certainly be happy to come back for a few follow-up appointments."

He groaned in response. Sakura had noticed he seemed to appreciate her grip. She stepped closer to reach over his shoulders, pressing her fingers into his pectorals. She dragged her fingertips across them as she pulled his shoulders into proper posture, then worked her thumbs down over his shoulder blades. Sakura was used to the intimacy of bodywork at this point in her healing career, but she'd actually been enjoying her time working on Sougen. Once he'd gotten comfortable with her being all up in his space, he loosened up like he'd been coming to her for years. He was a good conversationalist, and she'd been laughing more than she usually did on a job. Plus it didn't suck that he was easy on the eyes. Tall, dark, and handsome would get you every time.

"Do I only get massages if my back is still screwed up when you come back?" His tone was warm, teasing.

Sakura flushed a little, glad she was standing behind him. "You'll get something, but I promise you won't like it." She dug her fingers into his flesh for emphasis, and he chuckled.

"Oh, I don't know. You know how shinobi are," he said, tilting his head back to look at her with a grin. "We like it rough."

Sakura laughed. "Is that a challenge I hear? Careful now, these hands can bring down mountains."

"I'd risk property damage for more of your hands." His grin widened, softening the underlying intensity of his words. Sakura laughed more, pushing her thumbs down either side of his spine. His head dropped forward again and he hissed in gratification. She completed this final pass and brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders again, prodding the sides of his neck as she coaxed his head upright then smoothed her fingers back down, trickling calm energy into his system. She stepped back then. Her work was more than complete. Sougen had definitely benefitted from her need to work through her aggravation. She observed him as he stood and took a few steps forward, still adjusting to the feeling of standing straight again. Then he circled back around towards her. His expression was full of satisfaction and something else that made her stomach tighten a little.

"Excellent work."

"I aim to please." Sakura turned, feeling a little shy under his intense regard. She grabbed the straps of her pack and slipped it on. "Keep doing your exercises and give your body a few weeks to adjust. Let me know when you need me to come back."

"I'll do that." Sakura let the implications in his tone wash over her. She smiled at him and moved towards the door. Sougen fell into step beside her. She found herself very aware of his warm presence at her side as they made their way down and out of the building, and wondered smugly if her focus on Kiba had been a simple matter of proximity. Who needed that attractive piece of shit? Maybe it was time for her to see if the Hidden Grass really was greener...

Sougen pushed open one of the double front doors for her, his gaze on her face as she brushed by him. The ANBU were waiting, and turned at their approach. Sakura stopped, extending her hand to Sougen with a coy smile. "Thank you for your hospitality, Juutoku-sama."

He clasped her hand warmly, holding more than shaking goodbye. "I told you, the formality is unnecessary. Sougen is fine." His eyes crinkled at her.

Sakura let her tone turn silky. "Then I expect you to call me Sakura. I like to keep things even."

"Ah, then thank you for the healing, _Sakura_." His voice deepened as he said her name. Sakura's stomach tightened up again and she knew she was blushing.

Chakra flared like a sudden firework, and both of them turned to blink at her escorts. Boar's eyes were hidden behind the slits in his mask, but every line of his body radiated intensity as he angled his head toward her. Hawk remained motionless, save for sudden tension stiffening his shoulders. Sougen let go of her hand, saying, "Your guards are impatient for home it seems."

"Yes…" Sakura murmured, confused. _What was that?_

"I won't delay you any longer. Again, thank you. Safe journey until we meet again." She looked back, returning Sougen's warm smile as she began to walk away. The ANBU immediately began walking as well, leading the way to the village gate.

Sakura stared at Boar's back uncertainly, a few strides in front. It was still rigid.

_What was that?..._

* * *

Kiba was pissed.

By virtue of their different roles on the mission, he'd been able to steer clear of Sakura once they'd arrived in Kusagakure. Though the distance was what he'd been hoping for in the first place, he found that it didn't help. Kusagakure was devoid of any shady bullshit to investigate, so Kiba had been left to sneak around aimlessly without any real distraction. He'd been plagued with thoughts and dreams, pink tresses drifting in his peripheral vision like phantoms. And then _that cocksucker_ had come out with his hands all over her, his smell all over her, and she'd _smiled _about it.

Okay, it made sense that Sakura would have had to touch the fuckin' guy during the healing process. And maybe Kiba had only seen him touch her hands. His nose had no real way of distinguishing the intentions underlying the scent, but body language was universal, and that fuckstick's whole posture was screaming that he wanted to pull her back to his office and bend her over the desk. Kiba hadn't been able to stop himself. He'd reacted. Sakura's scrutiny had seared him. And that motherfucker'd had the nerve to look at him like he'd just coughed to interrupt them, with the unhurried pace of a man secure in his strength, god damn him. And Kiba had been powerless to do anything more about it, hampered by the mask and the mission and goddamned cocksucking diplomacy.

Now they were closing in on the border between Hills and Fire, and his emotions were in uproar. He was running parallel with Sakura again and trying not to glance at her too obviously. He was too keyed up to tell if she was returning his looks.

The tall Hawk was leading the way through the branches again, long legs eating up the distance. Sakura's calves were burning, but she was finding herself more distracted by her thoughts than by the lactic acid build-up. Sougen's attraction had stirred her. He was a powerful man in many respects, and he'd been far more subtle than Kiba. She felt there was a good chance Sougen would escalate things the next time he saw her. The idea pleased her. _Kiba who?_

She kicked off from a branch at the same time as Boar, who was keeping pace to her right. Sakura peeked at him, mind wandering to his odd behavior from earlier. Had he been reacting to Sougen? She'd been right next to the man, she would have noticed if he'd done anything questionable. It was worth mentioning in her report, that was weird for an ANB—

Her senses caught a flash of presence as an iron vise clamped around her waist, yanking her backwards. Something exploded on the right. She felt the sting of jagged metal tearing across her arm. A moment later, she was on the ground, dazed.

She looked up, caught a glimpse of Boar's mask before he whipped around. His sword was a flicker of silver, finding a temporary sheath in the body of the attacker flying after them. The man grunted, eyes wide and surprised, but Boar gave him no time to react further. His sword traced a gleaming arc in the penumbra of the forest as he spun and slit the man's throat before launching back into the trees.

A drop of blood hit her cheek. This broke the spell and she surged to her feet, channeling chakra to her fists by rote, but the fight was over almost as soon as it had begun. Another body thudded to the ground a few meters away, followed by her masked savior in a silent crouch.

"Third one ran. Hawk in pursuit." His voice had a strained quality, and as he slowly got to his feet, Sakura saw why.

A chunk of metal had found the seam between the armor plates on the left side of his flak jacket. Sakura sucked in a breath and ran to him. Closer, she could see that the chunk had entered at a diagonal, such that it pierced him through and was pushing at his armor from the inside. She could smell the blood now as it soaked his clothes a darker shade of black.

"Woah there," she said, "Why don't you crouch down again for me." Years of battlefield training kept her hands steady on his shoulders as she inched him back down. His breathing was shallow. Sakura placed one hand on his side around the shard, and slipped the other under his shirt, immediately infusing his torso with chakra. The shard had shredded through his intestines. She needed to work in stages.

"I need you to breathe for me, okay? I can fix you up, just hold on." She glanced up at his face, catching a tiny nod of the mask as she moved her hands to the hem of his jacket and used a light burst of chakra strength to tear the heavy fabric, trying not to tweak the shard. Then Sakura chanted reassurance, _hold on_, _breathe_, as she started to pull the shard out.

Little by little, she knitted organs back together, cleaned gut mess, and he breathed for her.

_(hold on)_

She wasn't aware how much time was passing. She only registered Hawk's return when he crouched behind Boar to brace him when he started to sway from blood loss.

_(breathe)_

When Sakura at last eased the point from his side, Boar stiffened for a moment before pitching forward with a big exhale, but she was right there and let him slump over the top of her, patching the last of the damage. Her work wasn't perfect, but would hold until they got him to the hospital. She tipped him back into Hawk's arms as gently as she could, plucking at straps and pulling his flak jacket over his head so she could pull his shirt up to make sure she wasn't missing anything.

His skin was hot under her fingers, revealing only a snarl of old scar, and her throat clenched. She'd seen that exact scar on her exam table less than two weeks ago.

Fuck. Inuzuka Kiba had just saved her goddamn life.

* * *

.

.

Kiba's on edge and Sakura is rapidly joining him. Could there _be _any more tension?

The answer is yes.

Also, if anyone is concerned about Sakura not getting her chance to throw down, no worries. It's coming.

Land of Hills = me playing off of the Hidden Grass being in an unnamed country. Juutoku Sougen is my creation.


	5. Start Your Engines

4/12/20 Edit: smoothing

Wrangled up a cover image. It's been a while since I actually finished any art-type thing, I might be possessed. Consider it the champagne bottle on the hull. This is now officially a Story™.

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* * *

**5\. Start Your Engines**

* * *

_Green. Such bright green._

_How did she glow so bright? Even the spikes of pain scorching up his middle were somewhat dulled in her light. _

"_Breathe."_

_He breathed. _

"_I've got you, hold on."_

_He breathed. _

_Her energy burned through him. A century passed. Civilizations fell._

_He breathed._

_Red-hot agony clawed at his airways, his brain. His vision narrowed. _

_The last thing he saw was her glow._

* * *

"—see him in my office at some point when he gets out of here."

"I will, Hokage-sama."

Kiba surfaced to consciousness as the door to his hospital room slid shut. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that Neji was sitting next to his bed and Tsunade had just left the room. Kiba basked in this confirmation that he had once again told Death to suck a dick. He decided to keep pretending his untimely demise just to rub it in Death's face.

"What's up, Sleeping Beauty?"

Kiba silently cursed Neji's impeccable observation skills, and turned his head to look at him. The Hyuuga was leaning back in his chair with arms crossed, as if he routinely sat at Kiba's bedside. His expression was a study in neutrality. Kiba's throat felt dusty, and he cast his gaze around until it landed on a water cup resting on the tray table hovering over his knees. He struggled up onto an elbow to take a careful sip, becoming very aware of the tenderness in his abdomen as his bandages pulled. Neji watched him silently.

Kiba cleared his throat and said, "Um", as his eloquence knew no bounds.

Neji snorted gently. "You survived, obviously. We used the emergency transport scroll to get you back here. Sakura damn near fully patched you in the field, but Tsunade-sama went through and double-checked anyway." Neji flicked his head at the IV pole. "They're running antibiotics to make sure you don't go septic."

Kiba nodded, engaging both arms to haul himself into more of a sitting position against his pillows. Neji continued. "I brought those bodies back with us per protocol. Zero ID of course, but Forensics is digging in to see what they can come up with. Tsunade-sama is opening correspondence with Kusagakure since it happened on their turf, make sure they're in the loop on this."

Kiba's thoughts sauntered into conspiracy territory. Hot damn, maybe prick daimyo was a _bad_ _guy_. Maybe he could _get paid_ to _gank the fucker. _Neji was still talking. "Hopefully the bomb fragments tell more of a story. The third enemy disappeared. I was on his tail, then nothing. Might have been a clone."

Kiba cleared his throat again. "So you're sayin' we know jack-shit right now."

Neji nodded, then leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands in front of him. "There's something _you_ can tell me, off the record." He lowered his voice. "It may have been quick, but you lost it back in Kusagakure. What the hell was that?"

Kiba didn't know what to tell him, because frankly it was goddamn embarrassing conduct for someone trying to wow superiors with his professionalism.

Neji stared him down. "Look, I don't need details. But if you want to be a captain, you have to learn to keep your shit locked down. It didn't affect the mission this time, but it only takes one time to make you or your teammate dead."

Kiba directed a scowl at the sheets bunched around his legs. He knew all that, knew Neji had his back by reminding him, but the shame of his mistake rankled worse than the pain of his stab-domen.

Neji stood up. "You've got what it takes, Kiba. But we are humans, and emotional control is a constant practice. I'd be happy to teach you some meditative breathing techniques. Just let me know." He flicked his fingers to his forehead in a casual salute, then headed for the door.

Kiba grunted after him. Breathing had certainly seemed to help when he was getting a jagged hunk of metal dragged out of his side... but truthfully, it was Sakura's presence he'd been focused on and clung to. That he'd _already_ been focused on; he'd reacted instinctively when the attack descended, well aware she wasn't paying full attention as so much of his attention had been fixated on her. Also worth noting was the matter of him reacting instinctively when he'd caught the scent of another man mingling with hers. Really, a scary amount of his reactivity lately could be directly attributed to Sakura. This was a very telling development, as he'd previously been able to tamp down on these urges around her. His body was making the choice for him.

_Do or die._

Kiba relaxed back against his pillows. He'd already passed on dying, but there was nothing he could _do_ until he got out of here… unless she stopped by for a visit. Hopefully not, as Kiba suspected even his massive charm would suffer from the tragedy of being filthy and trussed up in a hospital bed.

His head jerked up as the door opened again, but it was only his sister. Hana whisked her bulk into the room and bustled over to grab his head, smothering him with affection.

"Gah, 'm fine!" Kiba tried to pry her hands off. Hana held him tighter, planting kisses in his dirty hair. Kiba growled at her and she loosened her hold a little, but kept him cradled to her bosom.

"It's the mom hormones," she murmured, snuffling his hair like she used to do when he was little, "Can't help it."

"How'd you even know I was here?" Kiba grumbled, giving in and allowing himself to be babied.

Hana rocked him slowly. "I was here on prenatal business, but Hyuuga Neji caught me in the hall. Figured your family might be concerned about your well-being."

Kiba's scowl came back. He had a few comments about what his family could do with their _concerns_, but kept his mouth shut. Hana was an innocent party in the matchmaking dispute, and he'd already forgiven her for laughing when the old bitch grabbed his man parts. He'd have laughed too if it had happened to some other poor bastard.

Hana sighed into his hair. "I know you can't tell me anything, but I wanted to put eyes on you. And a nose." She snuffled him again. Kiba huffed a quiet laugh, leaning his head into her until she was satisfied.

"I'm fine. Honest," he said, giving her a half-smile when she finally let go. "We had a medic."

Hana nodded, brushing his hair with her fingers as Kiba lay back on his pillows again. "Good. Let me know if you need anything, or want me to sneak in some better food." She kissed his forehead and turned to go, but paused at the door to look back at him. "Also, best to keep avoiding the house when you get out of here if possible. Hachiko is still at large, and Akamaru reports she's been interrogating the female masses."

Kiba's scowl zipped back into place and veered homicidal. It was just one goddamn thing after another.

* * *

Sakura was facedown on her kitchen table. The mission report she'd been hacking away at scorned her with its papery judgments. It had been smooth sailing until she got to the part where she'd been planning to call Boar out for his momentary loss of control.

All ninja were taught that emotions got in the way of mission success and were better off left at home with other valuables. ANBU in particular were vilified for any foul-ups on the emotional front. The severity of their mission objectives required absolute subjugation of their humanity, and even though it was for a span of mere seconds, Boar had fucked up. Something made his control snap. But now she knew that Boar was Kiba, so logically she had a good chance of being able to contextualize the incident. Knowing who he was also made her more inclined to try to understand the cause instead of just busting his balls. And yet…

Sakura had been stewing for days, but felt no closer to a verdict. Boar-Kiba had reacted to Sougen, but all Sougen was guilty of was flirting with her, and why on earth would _that_ set Kiba off? Kiba was the grand emperor of Flirt Kingdom, patent holder of the come hither stare. It didn't make sense. It was the kind of behavior she regularly dealt with from Naruto and company when men gave her the eye. But Naruto and company were her family. Kiba was her friend. Friends don't cockblock. And if a friend _were _to cockblock, well… There had been a few occasions when Ino had tripped Sakura up on her way to getting down in Nasty Town, but all directly because Ino had been there, done that, and thrown out the T-shirt because it tried to stick it in her butt without asking. Kiba didn't know Sougen at all, and as Kiba had never previously taken an interest in her sex life, he had no reason to interfere. Unless…

That train of reasoning ended in a very logical answer that Sakura was unwilling to accept. Because _it didn't make sense._

_Bitch, it makes perfect sense. He's into you. _

Sakura ground her forehead into the table with a groan. The voice in her head was all too influenced by her recent bout of horny idiocy, it would seem. The wishful thinking was taking on a perverse tone of sincerity that she didn't want to dissect.

If she dared to be honest, what she was _really_ struggling with was what happened during the attack. The whole sex moron image of Kiba she'd been trying to build in her mind had been apocalyptically shaken. Sakura had always known he was a skilled fighter, but Kiba had moved through combat with preternatural ease and ended all necessary lives in the vicinity with exquisite efficiency. He'd pulled back the shroud on his true form, that of a young death god in his prime. He was breathtaking. _And_ he'd saved her life. It could be argued that this was a typical practice amongst comrades in the line of duty, but Sakura should've been cognizant enough to save her own damn skin. Instead, the death god had spared her the trouble and laid waste to their enemies without missing a beat.

All things considered, this was blowing through all her emotional checks and balances because, it could not be stressed enough, BECAUSE… they were just friends. _Friends_. FRIENDS. These were not friend-related feelings. These feelings were, as the kids say, _hella wack._ Sakura needed forms filled out in triplicate before she let feelings like this start to percolate, and Kiba was dumping all those papers in a trashcan and lighting a match. The gods were clearly damning her, but Sakura had no idea which of her sins had landed her in this shitty purgatory.

She needed some air. Her mission report wasn't going anywhere. There was a new coffee shop a few streets away with a chocolate cake in the window that had been screaming her name. Time for Operation Dessert Murder.

Given Konoha's temperate climate, most of the restaurants in the area had patio seating, so Sakura settled at a two-top near the door after she ordered. She tried to enjoy the breeze and concentrate on the book she'd brought for company. The waitress delivered a decadent slice of dark chocolate goodness and a latte. Sakura stabbed her fork into the cake's moist flesh and partook of the tasty sacrifice, plowing through half the slice in under a minute. Endorphins flooded her system. The steamed milk on top of her latte was poured in a little smiley face. Sakura's mood began to improve.

Then a husky voice called her name. She turned her head and there was Kiba, the source of her disturbance, sliding into the chair next to her like she'd been saving it for him. He wasn't wearing his jacket, just his undershirt, so she was treated to front-row seats at the gun show. His eyes were alight, hair still wet from the shower, and since when did he smell _this good? _It wasn't a particular scent, which made it more likely that it was just _him_. Her stomach clenched, and she clutched her fork for dear life.

Kiba slipped his arm over the back of her chair, grazing his fingers across her back. Then he leaned over, reaching for her face with his other hand. Sakura froze, save for her heart, which began doing a serviceable impression of a jackhammer. Kiba held her gaze as he leaned forward, and she felt a rough finger brush firmly over her lower lip. Kiba brought the finger to his own mouth and swiped the tip of his tongue over it with unchaste slowness.

"Had some icing there." His tone was intimate, his gaze provocative. Then he gave her the sexiest shit-eating grin she'd ever witnessed and Sakura's heart nearly beat its way out of her ribcage. She licked her own lip instinctively, finding the last traces of sweetness. Kiba's eyes traced the movement, and heat surged in her veins.

"Discharged already! Wow!" Her voice came out far louder than it needed to, considering how close Kiba was sitting. Sakura looked back at her cake like it could help her be less of a damn fool. "That's so great. Most people take a lot longer to fully heal."

She felt his warm breath on her neck, could hear the grin in his voice. "Just naturally gifted, I guess. But it was mostly you, Doc."

Sakura saw an opportunity to leap to safer territory and sat forward in her seat, inching away from his arm. Then she snaked the hand that didn't have her fork in a death grip over to his abdomen, avoiding his eyes as she prodded his bandaged midriff.

"You should probably still take it easy," Sakura said, preparing to roll out her well-trodden Doctor Sakura Says lecture, but Kiba cut her off at the pass, folding her hand in his larger one and stroking his callused thumb over her knuckles.

"Easy? I like it rough." His voice was hot sin in her ear. The arm on the back of her chair slipped down to hook her waist, and suddenly Kiba was pressed against her from thigh to shoulder. He dropped her hand and slid his fingers under her chin, tilting her face up to his, and there was nowhere for her to look but his wild eyes.

"Remind me again why we never gave this a try?" He spoke directly to her lips, tender butterfly touches that made her dizzy.

The voice in her head cackled_, Ooh girl, you are in so much trouble._

* * *

Kiba was a goddamned idiot. Many had told him so, and today he finally agreed.

As soon as the possibility of leaving the hospital had floated his way, Kiba was out like he'd been shot from a cannon. He'd dashed to and through his house at roadrunner speed, pausing only to grab clean clothes and plant a sloppy smooch on Hana's cheek. Then he'd hustled over to Shino's place. Shino wasn't home, so Kiba had broken in to use his shower, because what's a little misdemeanor between friends? He'd scrubbed off hospital/blood/sweat, dried himself at top speed, clothed, brushed his teeth with the toothbrush he left there (smart), then he was out the door again (window, rather). It was time to stick to his guns.

Kiba had flirted with a nurse to get her to squeal about Sakura's schedule, so he knew she wouldn't be at the hospital and headed towards her apartment. He caught fresh scent before he got there. It led him to a cutesy coffee place that was made largely more appealing by her presence on its patio. She was engrossed in a book, one leg crossed over the other, foot tapping the air, fork poised for another bite. The wind was playing in her hair and she had chocolate on her face. Kiba felt his smile stretch a million miles wide. By the benevolence of fates and café managers alike, a convenient chair was already in place, and Kiba planted his sweet ass in it like he was born to sit there.

Sakura looked at him, half in surprise and half in resignation. This was a tiny curveball, as Kiba had been anticipating full surprise, but he didn't hesitate to invade her personal bubble. The icing on her face was just icing on the metaphorical cake (and the real one, naturally). Sakura's lip was soft. Kiba stroked his finger across it slowly enough to feel her breathing accelerate, and her eyes grew three sizes. Bringing his tongue into play markedly upped the ante, but Kiba was playing to win. Sakura rewarded him by flushing like she had heatstroke.

"Had some icing there." His voice came out deep and rough without any effort. He was going to lose the thread in a minute if she kept looking at him like that. Sakura glanced away and Kiba shifted nearer, but then a distressing smell crept into his nostrils around Sakura's lovely essence. He looked over her head and saw the stuff of nightmares: Auntie Hachiko was halfway down the block from the coffee shop.

Kiba had made a habit of keeping his nose on alert for the old woman everywhere he went, but she'd approached from downwind. This wouldn't have stopped him clocking her any other time, as Kiba's nose was the best in the biz, but he'd been willingly drowning himself in Sakura.

Mother-effing-_fucker_.

The Archfiend turned her infernal gaze his direction, and adrenaline shot through him. Time slowed way the hell down. Then Kiba felt Sakura's fingers pressing into his stomach and realized the fates had gift-wrapped his ticket out of hell with a pretty pink bow. He was already here to make moves, and now the moves were dual purpose. The convenience was astounding.

Sakura was telling him to take it easy. Well, taking her hand and pulling her close was the easiest thing in the world, bullshit line sliding out of his mouth like clockwork. But when he tipped her face up, her eyes caught him in deep green depths, and Kiba found himself speaking his true thoughts out loud.

"Remind me again why we never gave this a try?"

Their lips were so close they were sharing breath. Sakura's pupils started to dilate, and without thinking Kiba leaned a millimeter further to press her sweet lips to his. Then Sakura sighed, melting into him as her eyelids lowered, and Kiba completely forgot about impending doom. Hell, he forgot his own damn name, forgot everything that wasn't this woman burning against him. He angled his head to kiss her more thoroughly, fingers gliding along her jaw into her hair. She moaned a little and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Kiba felt her tongue brush his lips and immediately plunged his own forward to taste her. There was nothing else in the universe at that moment but her mouth and her tongue moving against his.

At least, not until Satan rocked up next to their table in a little old lady suit.

"Kiba dear! So lovely to see you." Auntie Hachiko's tone was airy, as if she was meeting him for tea rather than intruding on an increasingly heavy make-out session. Kiba unsealed his mouth from Sakura's and stared at her. The woman had balls of steel.

Hachiko's eyes were shrewd as she took in the scene she'd interrupted. Sakura turned slightly toward their onlooker, and Kiba felt her stiffen in his arms as the old lady hit her with that intrusive appraisal. Kiba noticed Hachiko peer down at his lap, specifically at where Sakura's hand had naturally come to rest on his thigh when he dropped it earlier.

'Smooth' was one of Kiba's many middle names, so he sat back in his chair to meet the scrutiny head on, keeping Sakura tight against his side. He placed his other hand securely over hers on his leg, breezy as you please.

"Auntie, hey! Yeah, I've been busy." Kiba tried to sound pleasant. It wasn't that difficult, likely because he still had Sakura on his tongue, which was a pretty serious mood-brightener. He felt her fingers flex under his palm and stroked the side of her wrist, then felt the tiny intake of breath this caused in his other hand. He chased it, spreading his possessive grasp on the curve of her waist, and her breathing accelerated again as he pressed his fingers individually against her. Kiba couldn't help but grin. "You know, missions and stuff."

Auntie Hachiko gazed at them, lips pursed. "I see," she said, like she knew what he _really_ meant when he said busy (which was, for once, not the case). Then she focused on Sakura again. "And who is this charming young lady?"

Sakura's fingers dug painfully into his leg, and Kiba turned his head to look at her. Her lovely features were etched with mortification. But he was still punch-drunk, so he widened his smile to show more fang and said, "This is Sakura." And because one of Kiba's other middle names was 'fucking stupid', he followed this with, "She's my girlfriend."

Sakura's embarrassment was swamped by a tide of rage, and she dug her nails into his leg so hard she drew blood. It hurt. Inconveniently, it was also super hot.

"Oh ho!" Auntie Hachiko exclaimed, clapping her hands, "How wonderful! Tell me, my dear, is this a new romance? Or…"

Sakura turned to him. Her eyes were chartreuse with fury, but she was keeping her cool for some reason. Kiba brushed Sakura's nose with his, deliberately shifting his gaze down to her mouth, then back as he grinned like a wolf. "It's pretty serious, actually."

"Someone should have mentioned this to me! This oversight shall have to be rectified. And even if this young woman does not want to be your breeding partner, she must be part of the picture!"

The mention of breeding wrenched Kiba's attention back to the demon aunt, who was now clasping her hands and trilling, "Auntie has been finding a great many young ladies for you, all agreeable and very willing to give you offspring." The old woman turned her vile eyes on Kiba, cooing, "Aren't you a lucky boy, my dear?"

Luck gave Kiba the middle finger, said "Peace", and kick-flipped into space. Hachiko gave Sakura a sickening smile. "And of course you must join in proceedings if you would like, dear."

Sakura's back straightened dangerously under Kiba's arm. The heat of her glare on the side of his face would be downright enjoyable if it were cold outside. Her voice came out sharp enough to cut glass. "Of _course_. I would be absolutely _delighted_."

Sakura slid out of his hands as she rose slowly to her feet. Kiba let her, well aware he'd been pushing his luck since before that bastard left him for dead. Then Sakura's body moved into his field of view, shielding him from the devil. Before he could even blink, Sakura stepped as close as she could, grabbed him by the ears, and tugged his face up to press her mouth to his again. She kissed him soundly and pulled back, eyes searching his speculatively. Kiba stared back at her, dumbfounded.

Then she breathed "You cagey piece of shit" against his lips, and shoved her tongue in his mouth hard enough to blow his goddamn mind. Kiba was an expert tongue wrestler, but Sakura had him in a submission hold from the get go. She tipped his head back further and sank her teeth into his lower lip. When Kiba gasped, she plundered his mouth again with her hot tongue, kissing him with force that could register on the Richter scale. Desire arrowed straight to his groin. Kiba felt his pants start to tighten. Sakura sucked his tongue into her mouth and his hands clamped onto her thighs, sliding up to her hips like they were bewitched.

But all too soon, Sakura was releasing his lips with a little sigh and saying loudly, "I've gotta go. Bye, _honey_." She left him to collapse in his chair like he'd been deboned as she whirled to pick up her book. Then she discreetly glared daggers at him, bobbed a polite bow at Auntie Hachiko, and disappeared.

Kiba felt like a man unhinged. He was dazed as all hell and unabashedly erect. Luck seemed to have left a small dose of fortune as a parting gift, since Auntie Hachiko continued staring after Sakura and didn't notice his lunacy _or_ his tented pants.

Kiba could readily admit that this whole afternoon had unraveled in ways he couldn't even begin to anticipate. Sakura played a convincing lamb, but no amount of sheep's clothing could contain the lioness within. There was a lot to process, though one thing was now very clear: _she wanted him_. Kiba had smelled her desire as she turned to leave, which had channeled more blood to his dick even as she stabbed him with her eyes.

Also, he'd had that _extremely_ enticing woman in his arms, and he'd treated her like a handy pawn to glaze over some clan bullshit.

He was truly the goddamn dumbest person in the world.

Auntie Hachiko gave an awful little chuckle and said, "What a feisty girl. We must try to convince her to accept your seed, my dear."

This disgusting comment was a direct hit. Kiba's boner deflated instantly. He wondered vaguely whether his gut wound would split open if he barfed too hard, and considered that if it did, he probably deserved it.

* * *

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This chapter was brought to you by a heavy dose of Adore You by Harry Styles. I will now commit seppuku for the shame I have brought upon my house.


	6. Petal to the Metal

5/1/20 Edit: smoothed the top section a little

Accidentally wrote two chapters for the price of one. Realized after posting that it'd be better split, so apologies to anyone who gets double-pinged. Sorry about the title, I'm going for gold in the Stupid Pun Olympics ('cause Sakura's a flower, get it, get i— _alright_, I'll leave). Happy Quarantine everybody.

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* * *

**6\. Petal to the Metal**

* * *

She could just kill him. She _would _kill him.

Sakura was seething, flat on her back in the middle of the war zone she'd created just moments before. She'd apologize to Yamato later, as the training ground keepers would no doubt have to call him in to replace the large swath of trees she'd plowed up. But he would probably be proud of her for channeling her fury into the undergrowth instead of actually committing murder.

Sakura rolled and threw herself into the deepest pit she'd punched into existence, landing meters below in the damp dark. She slammed her fists into the closest wall of dirt, no chakra needed. Her unadulterated rage left deep gouges in the earth. Eventually she collapsed forward, shoulders singing with effort. She pressed her forehead and fingers into the dark soil, letting Mother Earth soothe her and ground her energy.

The nerve, the absolute NERVE of that asshole Casanova… Where the hell did Kiba get off acting like that? It wasn't going to be with _her_, that's for goddamn sure. This was multiple levels above the exam room tease. This was _unconscionable_. There was nothing wrong with a dog whose tail wagged for nearly everyone, but just because the dog could be really sweet sometimes didn't mean you needed to allow it to tongue-kiss you at random. And dragging her into some weird family shit was another matter entirely. Sakura was largely unaware of Inuzuka clan happenings, knowing only that Kiba was the heir. She was relatively certain, however, that this status didn't give him the right to commandeer unsuspecting women into fake relationships.

She was furious with Kiba, but more furious with herself. After all, she knew exactly what kind of behavior to expect from him and her dumb ass got swept up in it just the same. She knew as well as anybody that tigers can't change their stripes, and Kiba's stripes clearly spelled out 'womanizer'. Yet she'd willfully covered her eyes and opened her mouth for another taste of that sweet, sweet shame. Was she really so weak under the burden of attraction? At least when she was seventeen, she could blame her stupid choices on being a teenager.

Sakura dropped down onto her butt in the mud and chewed her lip as her mind churned. The last time she'd felt anything close to this, it had been about Sasuke when they were twelve. Suffice to say, her overall thoughts about the situation had been _significantly_ more innocent than they were currently. She and Kiba hadn't done more than kiss on a café patio, but the sensations generated by that kiss were more R-rated than public affection had any right to be. Sakura's brain emphasized this point by recalling Kiba's face up close to hers in high definition.

The memory bloomed four-dimensional as she felt his lips again, his tongue curling against hers, his hands branding her body through her clothes. Sakura groaned loudly and drove her fist into the ground beside her. Mud squelched around her knuckles, but did nothing to affect the heat that shivered through her body. She hated it, hated _him_ for making her tingle from mere remembrance.

How dare he smile at her like that? How dare he kiss her like that! Sure, she'd given him a dose of his own medicine, but played herself just as hard because she'd_ wanted _to kiss him again. Sakura found herself recalling a distant Tsunade lecture about how medicine dosed incorrectly was just another form of poisoning and scowled.

_Ain't that the goddamn truth._

On replay, she also realized that Kiba had used basically the same line as Sougen about liking things rough, but boy-howdy did it hit different coming out of Kiba's mouth. Sougen's covetousness had been a warm ocean breeze ghosting sensual promises over her skin. Kiba was a tropical storm, drenching her with desire and liquid heat between her legs… God_damn_, she was so sexually frustrated right now.

Sakura stretched out on her back, staring at the crack of sky far above. Why her?

* * *

Shortly after escaping Auntie Hachiko's presence, Kiba had likewise hurled himself into training, and for two full days he'd pushed his body as hard as it could stand. Not the smartest idea with a recent injury, but sometimes distraction was a cruel mistress. In the evenings, he'd taken advantage of best friend squatter's rights and helped himself to the absent Shino's apartment. He'd been trying not to think about Sakura too much, but now that he'd had a taste his penis was making it impossibly hard not to. Thus it happened that when Shino returned from his own mission, he walked in to find Kiba plastered to the couch whackin' it (which he'd _also_ spent the last two days doing).

"Oops," Shino said, immediately backing into the hall and shutting the door again. But a beat later, he came back in. "Wait, this is my house."

Kiba had taken that second of privacy to shove his dick back in his sweatpants, only mildly shamed. "You weren't here."

Shino gazed at him over his sunglasses. "You are very considerate. Our friendship is very special to me too." He dropped his gear and moved to a chair adjacent to the couch Kiba had profaned to gather his thoughts. Then he said, "So you have been busy since I was last home."

Kiba rolled his eyes with a grimace. "Beatin' my cock like it owes me money? Yeah."

Shino raised his brows a minute amount to ask a silent _why_. Kiba glared at Shino's coffee table. Shino was well-versed in Kiba's surly moods and waited for him to elaborate with infinite patience. Kiba dug his fingers into his skull like he was trying to bore holes through it, and decided it was probably best to just out with it.

"Kissed Sakura. Shit got complicated," he grumbled. Shino continued to sit in silence, since he was after more than a concise summary of events. Kiba exhaled loudly and tilted sideways onto the couch, rolling to his back and putting an arm over his eyes. He'd just been caught masturbating but it was talking about romantic mishaps that flustered him. _G__ods,_ he was a douchebag. Kiba clenched his teeth and fought through the discomfort of confronting his own stupidity. "Auntie Bitchface showed up and things got outta hand."

Shino rustled a tad, but said nothing. Kiba continued to address Shino's ceiling. "Told her Sakura was my girl." He gripped a fistful of couch cushion, not unlike how Sakura had gripped his thigh when he'd said that same thing to Hachiko. "Also told her we were serious. Bitchface spouted off about _breeding partners_."

Shino hummed quietly and took a minute to process this information. "The issue is becoming clear. Your aunt solicited Sakura's womb. I suppose it is likely that Sakura did not appreciate this and that the conversation was embarrassing for both of you."

"Embarrassing? Naw, Sakura's fuckin' _pissed_." Sometimes Kiba wished Shino would just read between the damn lines. "Her lettin' me stick my tongue down her throat doesn't change the fact that I fuckin' used her."

Shino hummed again, relaxing back in his chair as he said, "And yet I can see that your face is still intact. I think this bodes well with regard to Sakura's deeper feelings about you."

Kiba bared his teeth at nothing, and also at everything. "Deeper feelings? Shit, I'm only alive 'cause she didn't want a witness to see her put a fork through my goddamn throat, do the fuckin' math."

Shino's voice remained irritatingly calm. "I think if Sakura had truly wanted to bludgeon you for your transgression, your aunt's presence would not have stopped her." He shifted in his seat. "There must be something you are still not explaining. I know because your distress is unprecedented for something as commonplace as pissing Sakura off."

Kiba growled his frustration as he sat up, snarling his fingers through his hair. "I'm distressed 'cause she fuckin' _kissed_ _me_, man."

Shino stared at him over his sunglasses again. "You told me that already."

This confession thing was starting to be a real pain in the ass. Kiba dropped his head onto the back of the couch, scowling at the ceiling. "Naw man, _after_ all my dumb bullshit. She kissed me _back._"

Shino stared at him a minute longer, then sighed, taking his glasses off to rub his face. "So let me see if I am understanding. You kiss Sakura with dubious consent. Your aunt finds you. You misrepresent your relationship with Sakura. Then Sakura kisses you?" Shino preferred to state things like he was all-knowing, so Kiba took a bit of pride in the fact that this was enough of a conundrum to drive him to change the inflection of his words. Shino massaged his face a few moments longer, then propped an elbow on the arm of his chair, leaning his chin into his palm. "And you have been masturbating ever since."

Kiba gave a terse shrug. "Pretty much."

Shino sighed again, sounding like he'd aged fifty years in the last three seconds. "You are my friend and I care about you a great deal, but I feel I must say that you make quite literally zero fucking sense."

Kiba picked up his head and looked at him.

Shino continued. "All you have told me only proves my original point about Sakura's feelings for you. People do not kiss people they hate. People kiss people they like. Sakura kissed you, therefore Sakura likes you. If I remember correctly, this was exactly what you were wanting to happen in the first place." Shino's tone made evident the unspoken _you stupid prick_. "The only problem I can detect is that rather than pursuing this woman you share mutual interest with, you have chosen to sequester in my apartment and copulate with your hand."

Kiba's scowl darkened. "The fuckin' problem is I got no idea how to smooth shit over with her."

Shino stared back at him evenly. "So the problem is that you do not know how to apologize."

Kiba threw a hand up and dropped his head back again. "What kind of fucking apology would _you_ give? They don't exactly make 'Sorry I lied and now my aunt wants me to knock you up, wanna date?' cards."

A few quiet minutes floated by before Shino spoke again. "I suppose an apology is too simple. Flowers also seem somewhat inappropriate."

Kiba snorted irritably. "Feels that way."

Shino rubbed his chin in grave consideration. "This is a quandary."

"Of the _highest_ _fucking order_, dude," Kiba grunted, collapsing back on his side.

Shino hummed agreement. "It is possible that Sakura's lady friends might have some helpful solutions to offer. You should consider discussing the matter with them. I am willing to offer my assistance with this."

Kiba thought about this for a moment, then shot his friend a look and a dirty grin. "You still sniffin' after Ino?"

"Sniffing people is solidly your department," Shino said. He swiveled his gaze away with a dignified air. "And if you in fact mean to imply that I am stalking her, then you would also be wrong."

Kiba scoffed, rolling his eyes back up to the ceiling. "My bad. You still _gathering information_, fuckhead?"

"Yes, because it is best to have adequate information before proceeding," Shino intoned seriously. "Also, it takes one to know one, and my head is a great deal less fucked than yours seems to be."

Kiba glowered at the ceiling. With ass-hat friends like this, it's no wonder he was such a fucking idiot.

* * *

Sakura was puttering around her office at the hospital when Ino descended.

"Oh my god, what are you _doing_, the party started FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO," she screeched, snatching the color-coordinated folders out of Sakura's hands and tossing them onto her desk with reckless abandon.

"Organization is important," Sakura groused, slapping her hand down on a folder that threatened to slide onto the floor.

Ino eyed her with disdain. "You have interns for that kind of shit. And Spring Fling waits for no man."

Sakura returned her stare, brows surly. "May I point out that you're the one who declared we needed to be fashionably late to begin with?"

Ino put her hands on her hips. "Uh, may_ I_ point out that there's a limited window of time in which fashionable lateness is still fashionable? You were supposed to be ready for hair and makeup when I got here."

Sakura sank into her desk chair and scrubbed her fingers over her scalp. "I don't know if I have the energy for it this year."

This was a lie. She had indeed been working as much as possible, but anger tends to get in the way of productivity, so Sakura had been spending at least half her time glaring into space. She still hadn't figured out a reasonable approach to dealing with the Kiba predicament, which was the real reason she wanted to skip out on the Yamanaka's annual rager. Confrontation was almost inevitable.

Ino's brows lowered dangerously as she pointed an authoritative finger. "That's too bad, because you're going to this party whether you like it or not. And you will have _fun_, whether you _like it_ or _not._"

Sakura jutted her chin out, freshening her glare. "What are you, the fun police?"

Ino squared up with her, crossing her arms. "You're goddamn right, and you are in serious violation, missy. Them's some hefty fines if you don't pull the stick out of your ass."

Sakura sagged back against her chair, shifting her glare to her desk. "There's nothing up my ass, I'm just… tired," she finished lamely.

"You can be tired when you're dead or whatever," Ino said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.

"Uh…" was all Sakura managed as she was dragged out of her office and down the hall to the cut-rate beauty salon Ino had set up in the staff locker room.

"Bienvenue, mademoiselle. Now get your ass in the shower so we can get you gussied up." Ino smacked Sakura's backside and sat on a bench to rifle through her makeup bag. Sakura grumbled, but reluctantly followed orders. After washing up, she lingered under the hot water for a few extra minutes in an attempt to soothe the tension out of her shoulders. It didn't work. Sakura sighed and wrapped herself in a towel and approached her friend to accept her beauteous fate.

Ino glanced up and tutted at her. "Stand up straight, girl! Show off that gorgeous long neck. Hunching like that does nothing for it _or _your breasts." She handed Sakura the outfit she'd picked out, a stretchy mini dress that hugged Sakura's dainty curves on top and fluttered down to mid-thigh.

"Who says I want to show either of those off…" Sakura muttered as she dropped her towel, mostly to herself. Ino heard it anyway.

"Because it's Spring Fling and you'll be a vision in yellow. Suck it up, buttercup," Ino said, studying Sakura as she slipped on underwear and pulled the dress over her head. "What's up with you? Intern crush giving you the cold shoulder?"

"It's not a fucking intern," Sakura snapped without thinking. Ino's brows shot up into her hairline.

"Oh? And who is _it_, hmmm?" Sakura elected to look at the mirror instead of at the terrible and glorious light glimmering in her friend's eyes. Ino's voice was rich with triumph. "_Ooooh_, I knew you were holding out on me."

Sakura smoothed the straps of her dress, glowering at her reflecton. "_It _is nobody."

"Ho-ho, nobody… Nobody must be someone _incredibly_ shameful." Ino stepped over to dust a bit of blush over Sakura's cheeks, then handed over her designated mascara.

Sakura applied the mascara listlessly. She could feel the pressure of a shit-storm brewing. Nothing major, just enough of a shitty downpour to bring all the worms out. Ino traded her a sheer lipstick for the mascara. "Come on, if you won't tell me who it is, at least tell me what the hell he's doing that's got you so wound up."

Ino was giving her an out, and Sakura had been yearning to offload some stress, so she relented with a deep sigh. "Well, he's a playboy-type. And that's neither here nor there, but recently he reacted oddly when another guy hit on me in front of him, which was unexpected. Then the last time we saw each other, he kissed me."

Ino's scream caused a few passing nurses to dash into the locker room in a panic. She waved them off, grabbing Sakura by the arms. "Why don't you tell me these things sooner?!" Ino threw her hands up in the air and shimmied a little. "Ow OW, this dry spell's about to get _wet_."

"Unlikely. His motives were questionable," Sakura said, turning back to her reflection and smearing lipstick on her sullen mouth. She caught Ino's inquiring head tilt in the mirror and elaborated. "He used me as an… alibi of sorts."

Ino was perceptive as ever. "What, did he pull you into the old fake girlfriend ruse to get some other chick to leave him alone?"

Sakura grimaced. "Yeah, something like that."

"Hmm..." Ino stepped up and spritzed a little product on her hair, running a brush through it gently.

Sakura eyed her in the mirror. "No comment?"

Ino was quiet as she tousled Sakura's short locks with practiced hands. Then she returned her gaze, eyes thoughtful. "Do you like him?"

Sakura was powerless to stop the heat flooding her cheeks. "I thought you'd call him a scumbag, but you want to know if I _like _him?"

"He's obviously a scumbag and you have to make him pay for that, but if you like the scumbag, there are better ways to get revenge than just punching his lights out." Ino tossed her golden ponytail and inspected Sakura's face. "Annnnd that blush looks like a big fat yes."

"I…" Sakura's attempted denial stuck in her throat. She swallowed angrily. Her stupid feelings needed to take a hike.

Ino gasped suddenly and clutched Sakura's shoulders, eyes wide in the mirror. "Oh my god, is he going to be at the party?"

Sakura's miserable expression answered for her. A fiendishly savage smile contorted Ino's beautiful face. "This calls for Fuck Me pumps."

* * *

Spring Fling was a tradition started way back in the day by the Yamanaka patriarch, ostensibly to celebrate the change in seasons; the reality was that Inoichi had wanted to party and a bumper crop at his family's flower shop had given him the tenuous excuse to do so. Over the years, the guest list had grown from just his and his teammates' families to pretty much anyone who wanted to show up. It was a popular event, as ninja folk needed very little urging to cut loose.

Things were already in full swing by the time Kiba and Shino arrived. The hall was filled with obscenely large flower arrangements. The rafters were strung with lush garlands, intertwined with twinkling lights. Kiba couldn't see or smell Sakura, but his sense of smell was going to be pretty useless considering the size of the crowd, not to mention the flowers fucking _everywhere_. He kept his eyes open as he trailed Shino around the perimeter of the writhing dance floor.

Shino led him to the other side of the large hall, and they strolled out the back to the explosively floral patio space. Neji and Shikamaru were out there sharing a deck chair, and Neji was already smashed. Shikamaru looked like he wasn't far off, but then, he always kind of looked like that. He watched their approach with hazy eyes and swept an arm out like a king. "Welcome, my dudes. What's good?"

Neji started giggling beside him, because this was the funniest thing anyone had ever said. Kiba almost felt compelled to go slam some shots and get on their level, but he had more pressing matters to take care of for once. No way he was getting tanked before attempting to make nice with Sakura. Apropos of nothing, Shino said, "I will be right back", and weaved his way into the crowd. Kiba watched him go with some confusion until he was yanked down to sprawl across an unwieldy cushion of legs. Neji pulled him into a sloppy embrace, mumbling "Kibaaaa" as he squished their cheeks together. Shikamaru adjusted Kiba's limbs over his lap, nodding slowly at this scintillating proclamation.

Up close, the Nara smelled much less boozy than Neji did, so Kiba directed his _what the fuck_ eyebrows at him as he suffered a bout of nuzzling. Evidently the Hyuuga was very affectionate when wasted. Shikamaru cracked a wry smile. "My dad drafted us into a drinking game."

"Which one?" Kiba asked through a mouthful of Neji's hair.

"The one where you get really drunk."

"A classic." Kiba scanned the pulsating crowd again.

"We wonnnnnn," Neji said, nestling his head against Kiba's neck.

"Had a feelin'," Kiba murmured, tracking any flash of pink the crowd revealed. It was a flower-themed spring bash, so there were many. He patted Neji's head absently, frowning. A quick exhalation of laughter drew his eyes back to Shikamaru, who was observing him with narrowed eyes. The tactician's brain was sharp even when he was liquored up, not that it took a genius to figure out what Kiba was likely to be looking for on a night like tonight. Kiba frowned, wondering if this was a shitty assumption for Shikamaru to make or if he was really just that predictable.

"Where'sh the lucky lady?" Neji slurred as he dug his chin into Kiba's shoulder, picking up what Shikamaru left unsaid. Kiba scowled at the crowd. But before he could descend fully into being self-righteously pissed off, Sakura appeared before him like magic.

She didn't notice him, which gave him plenty of time to drink her in. In that short dress and criminally sexy stilettos, she looked like she'd stepped directly out of one of his dreams, dreams that had been exclusively sex-oriented since they'd kissed. Kiba's throat went desert dry. His pants were feeling tight again, and he needed meditation skills, like, yesterday. Kiba licked his lips, clamping his hand on Neji's shin as he muttered hoarsely, "Teach me how to breathe, dude."

Neji picked his head up and stared at him. Shikamaru's brain shifted up through the gears faster and he followed Kiba's gaze, brows raising a sliver as he too observed Sakura. Then he turned those penetrating eyes back on Kiba again, mouth spreading in a slow tiger smile. Neji's brain continued to lag. He blinked owlishly as he mumbled, "You are already breathing" in Kiba's ear like it was a secret, then followed this announcement with a hissed "you dumbasssssssss" as he dropped his head back onto Kiba's shoulder.

A few minutes prior to this, Sakura had entered the party likewise searching the mass of faces. Everything was beautiful, but Sakura was too preoccupied to be dazzled. Her eyes darted around, but she didn't see any red tattoos or damnably attractive fangs. Whether this was a good thing or not remained unclear. Part of her wanted to see Kiba, hash that kiss business out with him ASAP. Part of her didn't. A third part just wanted to deck him and be done with it. Sakura didn't have much time to contemplate her options, however, as Naruto spotted her and came barreling off the dance floor. He swept her up into a sweaty hug, then put her back down so fast her head rocked.

"Wowza! You look gorgeous, gorgeous," he said with an exuberant wink. Sasuke appeared over his shoulder and scanned her outfit critically, mild disapproval filtering over his expression. Sakura rolled her eyes at the both of them. Sometimes they acted out two sides of a dad. Naruto was the doting father, while Sasuke embodied the father who was about to strongly suggest she go upstairs and change because she wasn't leaving the house looking like _that_, and no backtalk, young lady.

"Yes, she most certainly does," Ino said, stepping up next to them and narrowing her eyes at Sasuke, who ignored her, now inspecting Sakura's extremely high heels. A gleeful cry turned everyone's heads toward Inoichi Yamanaka. He was stumbling their way with arms spread wide, full of party spirit and alcohol spirits alike. Ino's head fell back in the pose of long-suffering, and she dragged Sakura behind her onto the dance floor. They threaded the needle between two competing conga lines in attempted escape and cleared the crowd on the other side of the hall.

Ino peered behind them with a grimace, and Sakura grinned at her haunted expression. She was beginning to feel like maybe the night wouldn't be so bad after all. Naruto bounded through the crowd after them, laughing loudly as he grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her to him for a brief waltz. Then he twirled her and dropped her back into a ridiculous dip. Sakura felt a laugh bubble up her own throat. It burst as soon as she opened her eyes, as being upside down did nothing to lessen the shock of seeing Kiba staring back at her. Her back stiffened immediately, and her jaw clicked shut. She could feel a flush of heat working up her neck, but whether it was anger or something else, she couldn't say.

"Hey hey!" Naruto laughed louder. "It's Big Dick!"

Sakura's flush burned hotter. She'd forgotten about that joke. Given recent events, it hit her a little differently than when she'd first heard it.

Naruto pulled her back upright and stepped around her to go spread his infectious joy. Sakura let her body turn and observed Kiba right-side up. It was unfair how good he looked in that plain t-shirt, and his intense gaze overturned her world again. Her stomach flipped as his eyes swept her figure from head to toe, and she felt her hands ball into fists, a normal reaction to the feeling of impending threat that seemed to escalate every time she saw Kiba lately. Then she heard Inoichi's voice booming over the music. He'd managed to follow them and was trying to harangue Ino into playing beer pong with her dear old dad. Sakura pivoted, throwing her hand in the air, plastering on a smile. "I'll play, Uncle!"

Inoichi cheered. This unexpected enthusiasm made Ino eye her suspiciously, but Sakura strode by without returning the look. Suddenly she felt a real urge to get fucking bombed.

Kiba watched her go, paralyzed on his throne of limbs. The hour was upon him, but Sakura's eyes had pierced him and his resolve was leaking all over the place. Major party foul.

Naruto shouted something as he walked up, but Kiba didn't hear it, focused on the afterimage of his pink and yellow fantasy melting away. A tray of shots floated over courtesy of some helpful asshole, and Kiba faked a couple of rounds of liquid fun with the boys, eyes still straining uselessly into the crowd. The only person who noticed him pretending to take the shots was Shikamaru, whose smirk was now knife-sharp. Then Naruto blocked Kiba's view with his face.

"The hell's your problem, dude?" Naruto's brows were furrowed with mild tipsy concern. "You look constipated."

"Kiba can't breathe," Neji murmured dreamily, nuzzling Kiba's shoulder and almost spilling an abandoned shot he'd nabbed. Shikamaru leaned forward and nipped it out of his hands, shaking his head.

Naruto's eyes got wide. "That's _too_ constipated! Go to the hospital, man!"

"Or maybe just go see a medic," Shikamaru said. Kiba looked at him, and Shikamaru grinned like a tiger again, bobbing his eyebrows briefly before downing the shot he was holding. Kiba took the hint. He peeled a protesting Neji off him, adjusted the cataclysmic bulge situation in his pants, and stumbled past Naruto into the crowd.

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Things get sexy next chapter, hold onto your butts.


	7. Spectrum of Intention

4/12/20 Edit: smoothing (I think it got even hotter, you guys, I'm not even kidding)

Fair warning, the bulk of this chapter is fresh-squeezed lemony goodness. It's the first time I've ever written anything so dirty, and I hope y'all like it.

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**7\. Spectrum of Intention**

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Sakura had been busy losing at beer pong, but she was okay with that tonight. She was also thankful the Yamanakas played a tweaked version that interspersed shots with the cups of weak beer. Inoichi had a knack for sinking his ball into those dangerous little pockets, as well as a lacking sense of responsibility when it came to forcing large amounts of alcohol on his daughter's best friend since childhood, and Sakura had finally relaxed. It wasn't like she couldn't handle her booze. Tsunade had put her through many a trial by fire, the least of which was getting shitfaced and still going to work the next day, so this was cake.

It was the fourth round, and Sakura was down to her last two cups, both beer. The crowd around the table was rowdy, and Inoichi had been inciting them further with his good-natured shit-talking. Now he was pulling faces to try and distract her as she stepped up for her turn. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him, adjusting her stance. She let one foot pop up as she bounced on the other, sending the ball into one of Inoichi's cups in a neat arc. The crowd went wild, and Inoichi collapsed to his knees, guffawing before he downed his penalty. Caught up in the fun, Sakura spun to curtsey to the onlookers and came face-to-face with Kiba again, only a few feet away this time. How long had he been standing there?

Kiba stepped closer, as if her stare was a permission slip, and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. The intensity in his eyes was tempered with something else now, possibly remorse. The alcohol coursing through her veins ignored this and serenaded her with a chorus coaxing her to tell him to get bent. Sakura curled her lips into a sneer, showing as many teeth as possible as she said, "Oh look, it's my _love muffin_."

She'd unintentionally spoken loudly enough for some people in the crowd to hear, and they were soused enough to jeer at Kiba even though they didn't get the joke. "Always did love a good muffin," Inoichi slurred happily over the noise, sinking another ping pong ball on her side of the table. Kiba's eyes never left her face. The heckling faded to a dull roar in her ears, and Sakura turned back to the game, leaning on the table. Her fingers clutched around her penalty cup as her pulse pounded in her temples. She felt too hot all of a sudden.

"I don' wanna play anymore," she mumbled, plucking the ball from the cup. She tipped the beer down her throat and tossed the cup over her shoulder as she turned. She slapped the ball into Kiba's chest as she walked by and pushed into the sea of bodies without any real destination, as long as it was away. She found herself back by the patio area. Both blondes she'd been hoping to find were missing in action, and she only encountered Shikamaru, who was stretched out flat on his chair with his hands behind his head. Neji was curled up on top of him, snoring lightly. Shikamaru cracked an eye open as she came near and answered her silent question with a shrug, clearly at peace with being bait for drunk cuddle whores. But then that eye shifted to gaze behind her and she knew exactly what he was looking at, or rather, _who_.

Sakura turned so fast her hair whipped against her cheek. Kiba was there, jaw tight, eyes still uncomfortably warm. Something tiny fluttered in her stomach, but she felt a scowl distort her features as she spat, "What do _you_ want?"

Kiba was torn between pangs of repentance and the pulsing of raw desire in his groin. The crowd smell was dispersed better on the patio, and Sakura's scent permeated the humid air, spice and anger taunting as she bared her teeth at him. Her eyes glowed with venom. Kiba swallowed, and his dick throbbed against his waistband where he'd tucked it. It was probably bad that she turned him on so much when she was pissed off. He moved closer, hands up in penitent appeal. "Wanted to talk."

Sakura's scoff was vicious. "Talk, huh? Thassa new approach for you."

Kiba stepped close enough to touch her but tried not to, though the effort it took to keep his hands to himself was tremendous. His primal lizard brain was staging a coup, and his blood was singing. Kiba's voice came out husky as he grinned, all deviance. "Don't recall you minding, seein' as you kissed me back."

"'Course I kissed you back. Wanted to really sell it, dickhead," Sakura hiccuped, glaring. Belatedly, it hit her that her glare was focused solely on his mouth and she glanced back up. He'd totally noticed. Hunger flared in his eyes. Sakura wished desperately that Ino would show up and slap some sense into her. Kiba stepped close enough for her to feel his body heat, too close, and her senses kicked into overdrive. She needed to _get out_. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Sakura faked surprise, looking past him and exclaiming, "How sweet, you brought your aunt!"

Kiba's eyes bugged out of his head, and he whipped around in a defensive crouch. It would have been hilarious any other time, but a laugh would have cost her precious seconds. Sakura whirled and dashed in the opposite direction, managing to weave her way into the greenery without tripping over anything. There was a 10-foot high fence around the property, but tipsy brain told her to hop that fucker, heels and all. She landed in the street behind the hall and managed a few graceful steps before a pothole took her down, scraping her knee and her pride. Sakura cursed under her breath and plopped over on her backside to brush healing chakra over her boo boo. Then she heard Kiba drop over the fence behind her.

His steps brought him just within arm's reach, but no closer. This was somehow more infuriating than when he'd closed the distance a few minutes ago. Sakura's mellow was decidedly harshed at this point and she growled in his general direction, but this drew him close again. He crouched beside her, hands sliding under her arms to help her up. Sakura elbowed him, catching him in the chest. Kiba made a quiet _hup_, but the blow didn't knock him back like she'd intended, so she followed through with her open hand, shoving him away as she scrambled to her feet. He sprawled out on his back.

When she was vertical, Sakura stood as tall as she could and wheeled on him, shouting, "I don't need your goddamn help!" Her back was tight with anger, but her arms tingled where his hands had been, and she couldn't stop her eyes from tracing down his body as he pushed himself up on his elbows. Kiba's shirt had ridden up, exposing that deliciously toned stomach, and she followed his happy trail to the sizable outline of his dick distending his pants. His eyes were dark under the yellowish streetlight, and the fluttering in her tummy returned. Sakura sucked in a breath. Away, she needed _away_, but her feet were slow to move.

Kiba stared up into this furious scrutiny. Sakura's brows were drawn together as if she were conflicted, possibly about whether to take advantage of his prone position and stomp on his nuts. Lizard brain was more concerned with how the fabric of her dress clung to the swell of her breasts. Kiba could just make out her nipples hardening through the thin material, and the smell of her desire teased him. She met his gaze, pursed her pretty lips, then turned and walked unsteadily away.

Two choices were immediately obvious. He could let her go for now, let her cool off a few more days, maybe choose a nice bouquet after all. But Kiba's blood was pooling almost entirely in his groin at this point, so he chose to follow her. He reasoned to himself that he wasn't going to do anything more than make sure she got home safe. Maybe ask _nicely_ if she'd consider sitting on his face, like a gentleman.

Sakura turned down a residential lane bordered by waist-high hedges on both sides. There were no streetlights on this block, and it was late enough that most of the houses were dark. The few lit windows did little to amplify the weak light of the waning moon overhead, and Sakura slowed as she stepped into the shadows.

Kiba was laser-focused on the hem of her skirt skimming her thighs. He realized too late that she'd paused and half-turned back towards him. He slowed and halted at arm's length from her again. Sakura studied him. Her expression had softened, but Kiba couldn't read it. Then her hand shot out to fist in his shirt, jerking him forward a step. Lizard Brain purred, ready to fight or fuck or both.

Sakura watched Kiba watch her with those dark eyes. He deserved a healthy dose of fear, but the thought of hitting him had faded from her mind, leaving only Ino's words from earlier. The streetlights from the main road backlit Kiba's muscular shoulders, and the heat of his firm chest caressed her knuckles, leaching into her blood. Sakura's gaze wandered down his body again. Better revenge indeed. She pulled Kiba closer, close enough to see how blown-out his pupils were, close enough to feel his breath on her face. Then she found a second hand-hold in the fabric of his pants, gathered some chakra, and hurled him over the closest hedge.

Kiba landed hard on his back in the grass. He had a moment to scan the surroundings and register that he was lying in someone's front yard, dimly lit by the glow of a few second-story windows. As he sat up, Sakura leapt over the hedge to join him, her voice lilting as she said, "Oh no, you fell down." Then she stepped forward, one foot on either side of him, and dropped down onto his lap just shy of his crotch. Kiba leaned back on his hands, staring up at her, entranced. He was distantly aware of her fingers crawling into his waistband and unbuttoning his pants. She kept her eyes on his as she eased his zipper down. He'd gone commando as usual, and her mouth pulled up at the corner as she took in the tremor that shook him when she brushed her fingers over his naked cock. Her tone turned wicked. "Oh no, your pants fell open."

Kiba's restraint was hanging by a rapidly fraying thread, and a guttural sound ripped from his throat, half-strangled as he choked on his own desire. The beast inside him watched from behind his eyes as Sakura crawled off him enough to tug his pants below his knees. She crawled forward again to hover over him, pushing his shirt up his chest. Her eyes roved his bared skin, and he prickled with goosebumps as she ghosted her fingers up and down his torso.

Kiba's eyelids slid shut as he slowly counted to ten; an arbitrary amount of time, but probably long enough to wait for her to have second thoughts. His breath hitched when she grazed the tips of her fingernails over his lower belly along either side of his cock, and he almost lost count. He extended the count to twenty just to be safe. Sakura continued to draw lines of fire over his skin, and gazed back at him serenely when he opened his eyes. She did not seem to care one bit that they were getting hot and heavy in full view of anyone who might wander down the street, not to speak of the property owners going about their nighttime business in the house.

So Kiba dropped the leash and let the beast run wild.

He sat up straighter and slipped his arms around Sakura's waist, pulling her down to straddle the length of his erection. She gasped when he rocked into her, only the thin barrier of her panties between them. Kiba pushed his face up to capture her mouth, her taste seeping into his bloodstream like a drug as she moaned into his mouth. Her fingers sent tingles through him as they wandered up his chest. Kiba relished in the way her tongue curved around his and used his own to pull another moan out of her.

This close, the smell of her desire was as intoxicating as her taste. Kiba groaned with pent-up want. He could feel her wetness through her underwear, and it made his dick so hard it hurt. He trailed delirious open-mouthed kisses over her jaw and down her neck as his hands climbed up her back, sucking on her throat as he pulled the straps of her dress off to dangle loosely around her shoulders. He blazed a teasing path along her collarbone with his tongue and peeled her dress down, exposing her breasts to the cool night air. Sakura gasped again as he explored them with callused fingertips. Her hands snaked into his hair to compel his mouth to follow in their wake. Kiba's mouth needed very little urging and his lips closed around a nipple, sucking as he anchored his hands on her waist. She arched into his mouth, grinding down on him, fingers clenching in his hair. He growled approval into her flesh.

This rough sound of desire sent flames licking up Sakura's spine as she panted at the sky. Her sex was throbbing, pushing her for more contact, more heat, _more. _Sakura reached down for her shoes, pulling them off one by one and tossing them into the gloom. Her hands found Kiba's shoulders, intending to use them to lever to her feet, but his grip was strong. The growl against her skin took on a dangerous edge, daring her to remove herself before he was ready, but Sakura had a mission. She gave his shoulder a fierce slap. "_Off_."

Kiba growled louder, and she felt him graze her nipple with his teeth. Sakura growled back at him, digging her fingers fiercely into his shoulder as she wrestled her way up out of his hold. "_Off_, you fuck," she hissed, glaring at him as she straightened and fumbled under her skirt to peel her sticky panties down.

Kiba's hot gaze snapped to the movement, and a feral grin spread across his face. His voice was jagged with desire. "Oh, _off." _

His hands shot up to meet hers, taking over the removal process. Gratified, Sakura put a hand on his head to balance as she pulled one leg free. Then she heard him growl again, _felt _it along her inner thigh as he wrapped his arm around that leg and folded it against his shoulder, other hand cupping her ass from underneath as he pulled her towards him. Then she was straddling Kiba's face. His hot tongue plunged into her, and she let out a yelp, throwing her head back as pleasure sliced through her.

Kiba groaned. He'd found heaven at the apex of Sakura's thighs, her flavor every bit as spicy as she smelled. Both her hands were in his hair again as she writhed above him, moaning breathily. Desire possessed him. He slid his other hand over her thigh and up under her skirt, cupping her other ass cheek, folding her closer to him, fully pressing his face into her soaking folds. He rotated his tongue inside her, nice and slow. Sakura shuddered against him, panting. His dick flexed as she whined low in her throat, and he slurped at her slit for all he was worth. Sakura rewarded him with a positively pornographic moan. Then she abruptly slipped her knee off his shoulder and pushed his head back. Kiba growled his displeasure again, but her hands gripped his hair tight, denying him. He looked up at her then, and his breath was stolen.

The light from the second floor windows lined Sakura's silhouette in gold. Her breasts heaved, delicate and perfect, and even in the dimness, Kiba could see the blush of her nipples echoed in her cheeks, in her parted lips, in the hair framing her face with wild tendrils. Her eyes were luminous, and he'd never seen anything so beautiful.

They breathed at each other, and then Sakura lowered herself back to her knees over him. Kiba felt the damp pink curls between her legs brush his throbbing cock. His fingers kneaded the flesh of her ass, encouraging her to press against him again. Desire drew his mouth to her shoulder, compelled him to scrape his teeth along her skin, but Sakura's hands were still in his hair, and she yanked his head back sharply. Kiba gasped without meaning to, finding her eyes again as she rose up to look down at him in hazy contemplation. Then Sakura dipped her mouth down to his ear. Her voice was throaty with the remains of her buzz, but he could hear a hint of dark laughter as she said, "You know, Dog Boy… I think I'm gonna make you my bitch." Then she sank her teeth into his earlobe and Kiba almost came all over her stomach.

Sakura grinned against the side of Kiba's head at the garbled sound he made as his hands clenched reflexively around her ass. She slipped a hand between their bodies to grasp his erection, humming as her fingers discovered him slick with precum. Then she slid the head of his dick between her lower lips and sank down onto him in one smooth motion, moaning low in her throat. Kiba gasped, fingers shifting to dig solidly into the flesh of her hips. Sakura gave a small gasp of her own as she settled on his length. His cock was thick, and felt almost too good inside her. She rolled her hips as warmth spiraled up through her body. This angle rubbed her clit against him and intensified the heat already coiling at her center. She rolled her hips harder, smiling as Kiba stuttered a choked groan to the sky.

Kiba's eyes were rolling back in his head. He'd been wrong. Sakura tasted divine, but her silken heat surrounding him, gripping him, _that_ was heaven. Her breathing was heavy with want as her hands cradled the back of his head, pressing him to her shoulder. He trailed sloppy kisses up to her neck, and Sakura mewled in his ear as he sucked her overheated skin into his mouth. She pulled up a little and rotated her hips, flexing her inner walls around him. Kiba uttered a quiet, "Oh _fuck_", and yanked her hips back down so she was flush against him as he rocked under her, faster, faster. She started to whine again, and the beast inside him snarled triumph, scenting the spike of her desire in the air.

The tides of pleasure pulled Sakura ever closer to the edge of oblivion. Kiba was panting against her throat, mumbling an ongoing stream of profanity as he held her to him. She could feel him flexing up into her, and steam built under her skin as her core reached its boiling point. Her head fell back as her orgasm crashed over her. She raked her nails down Kiba's chest, hips slowing as she floated in ecstasy. Distantly, she felt him groan against her neck, then felt his teeth sink into the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

Sharp heat shot through her and dragged her back under the waves of pleasure. Sakura gasped for air, choking on a moan as she shuddered against him anew. Kiba grunted as she clenched around his dick, then released her shoulder to fall back against the grass. He bent his knees for leverage and snapped his hips, thrusting up into her. Sakura cried out as he stirred her back up. Lost in sensation, her hazy gaze fell to his face. Kiba's eyes were dark. He wore a fierce grin as he drove his cock into her ruthlessly, and she could feel another orgasm building already as she bounced on him. Then she felt a dribble of warmth trickling down her back, small drops of confusion leaking through the pleasure veil. Sakura swiped a finger over her shoulder and saw that the warmth was blood oozing from the bite mark he'd left on her.

The fluttering was back, a swarm of tiny butterflies stretching tender wings. He'd _marked her_. Sakura looked past her fingers to Kiba's face and again made the mistake of meeting his eyes as passion swirled within her. The ardent sincerity she saw in his gaze was elating and terrifying all at once. But then his grin sharpened and her thoughts stampeded wildly.

Because she'd caught herself wanting to believe. He'd tempted her into wanting to believe. _Again. _And now he'd made her bleed.

Desire sparked and set the remaining alcohol in her bloodstream aflame. Sakura felt the magma of hot rage rising within her, smothering the butterflies before they could take flight, and abruptly latched onto his hands. She ripped them out from under her skirt and forced them down on either side of his head, pressing his wrists into the dirt with chakra. Kiba's eyes widened in surprise, but his grin never faltered. He pushed back like it was a game. But Sakura's desire had already spiraled into fury, and she drove her weight down on him, breaking his rhythm as she glared into those laughing eyes and growled, "How _dare you_" right in his face.

Kiba blinked. He'd been feeling pretty goddamned fucking good, but now things were twisting wildly out of his grasp, and he was unsure what had gone awry. Lizard brain wasn't great with comprehension, but the only remotely dumb thing he recalled doing up till this point was following her in the first place, so he was at a loss. Sakura braced against his wrists as she angrily contemplated him beneath her. Then she ground down and squeezed her pussy around him so tight it was painful, and Kiba arched as pleasure stole the air from his lungs.

Sakura set a punishing pace, riding him like he was a prized thoroughbred and she was aiming to win the steeplechase. He felt his nails dig into his palms as his hands clamped uselessly on air. His toes curled as Sakura ducked her lips down to his ear again, demanding to know where he got the _audacity_ to be such a goddamned slut all the time. Kiba had no answers for her, as the brutal undulation of her hips had driven away all capacity for human speech, and when she groaned against his earlobe and called him a pussytease, he almost passed out. Then she arched and threw her head back, hips now mindlessly screwing him into the ground. Her mouth fell open with a long drawn-out moan, and she pulsed around him as she came a second time.

This was too much to take, and Kiba felt himself hurtling towards the point of no return. He tried to do the gentlemanly thing and warn the woman astride him, but instead his mouth said, "Hrnghgumming", and his hips jerked, filling her with liquid heat. Sakura moaned louder, letting gravity press her body into him, rolling her hips again as Kiba spasmed between her legs. She leaned down and pressed her forehead against his, eyes shut, chest heaving as she rocked against him with the sensual slowness of post-orgasmic bliss.

Kiba's breath was slow to come back as he stared up at her. The beast was dozing now that its sharpest hunger was sated, but the man still wanted more, and Kiba leaned his mouth up to kiss this woman who gripped him in so many ways. Their lips joined for a brief soft moment, but as he tilted his head to press more intensity into the kiss, Sakura startled back. She sat up, hands releasing his wrists like they'd scalded her, brows snarling together. Kiba blinked at her, brain still slow from his blinding orgasm. His eyes drifted to the side, and he remembered that they were half-naked in some sucker's yard. The thought that perhaps Sakura would prefer to take their post-coital cuddling somewhere more private floated through his head at glacial speed. His eyes drifted back to her as he raised up onto his hands, voice rough and low, breathing still heavy. "Wanna get outta here?"

Sakura continued to stare at him, frozen. Kiba felt his mess dripping out of her onto his thighs and his hands tingled. He wanted to touch her again, trail his mouth over her soft skin, roll her beneath him, take her again and again, here, anywhere… He'd waited so long. Kiba licked his lips and leaned toward her, reaching, feeling unhinged again.

Sakura was on her feet in an instant, dancing away from his hands. She glared at him again, mouth screwing up as she shrugged back into the top half of her dress. Then before he could say anything else, she vaulted over the hedge and disappeared into the dark so fast Kiba's head spun. He stared at the place she'd just been standing. She'd jumped clean out of her panties when she booked it, and they lay on the grass just out of reach, not far from one of her shoes. Kiba ran his hands through his hair before wiping the sex juices off his leg. He smeared them in the grass and sighed. He was obviously missing something, but he wasn't going to figure it out tonight.

He got to his feet and tugged his pants back up, then gathered the debris Hurricane Sakura had left behind. He hopped back to the street and shoved the panties in his pocket, heels dangling from his fingers as he walked back to Shino's place. He considered his next move. The obvious jumping-off point was getting her stuff back to her. After all, what better segue to bring up the hot yard sex they'd had than hand-delivering the panties he'd helped strip off her? Of course, while the heels were somewhat innocuous, Sakura was unlikely to appreciate him trying to hand off her underwear in public. That meant they'd need to meet _privately._ Excellent.

The moon smiled down at him sideways, and he grinned back, putting a bit of swagger into his step. Everything was coming up Kiba.

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I know the description says "sprinkled with citrus", so here's hoping you guys really love sprinkles. Also wanted to jaw a little about the feelings I'm trying to portray here.

sErIoUs AuThOrS nOtE: both Kiba and Sakura have feelings they're trying not to look at too closely. Feelings can be scary, even for ninjas who routinely kill people. _Especially _for ninjas who routinely kill people.

Sakura is in denial due to her painful history with deeper feelings. She isn't ready to confront this in herself yet, but Kiba is unaware of this and has barged into her heart like the proverbial bull in the china shop. So she's trying to keep it together and latching onto every scrap she can to prove that it's nothing more than physical, because anything more is dangerous. People can put themselves through surprising mental acrobatics to avoid pain.

Kiba is more honest with his feelings, but also has yet to really examine them. He's had them so long they're furniture in his heart, and he's more comfortable with simply lounging on them than really thinking about what put them there. And sometimes his dick just takes over his brain, bless him. But he'll get there. Though his logic can be questionable, he's truly doing his best.

Anyway, join me again next week as Sakura spirals further into delicious madness. Also wash your hands and don't touch your goddamn face. Stay safe out there, y'all.


	8. -Interlude-

Heads up: I've updated all previous chapters with improved flow and formatting. The first couple needed a lot of work and, lo and behold, turns out I found work to do on all of them. Of course, the year 2020 is the perfect time for hindsight (cue rimshot), and truly, I just wouldn't be me if I wasn't going back and editing earlier chapters already. Please check them out if you are so inclined, I think (hope) there is noticeable improvement.

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-**Interlude**-

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**FADE IN: ****INT. PARTY HALL - VERY EARLY MORNING**

_[Music is still playing, though most attendees have called it a night. A few remaining PARTYGOERS are bopping around in front of the DJ booth. The DJ is very tired. INO observes this as she steps around party detritus. She makes her way to a chair against the wall and sits, playing with the end of her ponytail. She becomes lost in thought, reflecting on the events of the party.]_

**DISSOLVE TO****: INT. PARTY HALL - PREVIOUS EVENING**

_[Ino watches in confusion as SAKURA disappears into the large crowd after Ino's father INOICHI.]_

INO

_(muttering to herself)_ What? No one ever _volunteers_ for Dad's party shenanigans...

_[She looks back past where Sakura was previously standing and sees the Usual Gang of Idiots. NARUTO is being Mr. Life of the Party. SHIKAMARU is miraculously still awake. NEJI is having an intense cuddle session with KIBA. Kiba looks uncomfortable, but is staring into the crowd instead of at Neji.]_

INO

Something is fishy here.

_[Ino cuts into the crowd again after Sakura, but finds herself intercepted by SHINO. Shino is wearing a more stylish high-collared coat than usual, and has put some effort into styling his hair. Ino can just see his eyes over the tops of his sunglasses.]_

SHINO

Hello.

INO

Uh, hi.

_[A real banger comes on the sound system. The DJ pumps up the volume and the crowd's wildness dial goes all the way to 11. A RANDOM DANCER grabs Ino's hips. She shoves off the unwanted hands with practiced ease. Shino steps closer.]_

SHINO

It would seem that you are without a drink at this time. I would like to accompany you to remedy that situation.

INO

_(cupping an ear, shouting over the music)_ Sorry, what was that?

SHINO

_(falters)_ Um... _(speaks slightly louder)_ It would seem that you are without a—

INO

_(points at her ear)_ TOO LOUD. _(miming)_ DRINK?

_[Shino nods. Ino decides to find Sakura later and grabs Shino's hand. She leads him off the dance floor to the crowded bar. Ino squeezes into a tiny slot and points the BARTENDER towards what she wants. She turns her head to look at Shino, who is standing stiffly half a foot behind her.]_

INO

_(loudly)_ What do you want to drink?

_[Shino is conspicuously still and doesn't answer. Ino is impatient with this kind of shrinking violet bullshit and grabs the front of his jacket to pull him into communication range. She directs her loud voice into his ear.]_

INO

What do you want?

SHINO

Um.

_[Shino is visibly sweating. Ino makes an executive decision and smiles at the bartender as he puts her drink down in front of her. She waves a finger at him.]_

INO

One more!

SHINO

_(mumbling) _Ino, I had somethi—

_[The bartender presents the second drink. Ino grabs both and steps away from the bar, jostling Shino slightly as she moves past him. She shakes her head at him, then points toward the patio with her chin.]_

INO

TALK OUTSIDE.

_[Ino leads the way out to the patio with Shino trailing behind. She pauses and observes the Gang of Idiots once more. Naruto is gesturing about something. Shikamaru is no longer awake. Neji is rubbing his face on Shikamaru's chest like a cat. Kiba has disappeared.]_

INO

Hmm.

_[Ino makes another executive decision and moves deeper into the makeshift garden away from the idiocy. The greenery renders the noise level much more acceptable. Scattered tiki torches provide warm flickering light. Ino finds a bench surrounded by large ferns and gracefully plants herself on it. Shino hesitates momentarily in his approach behind her, then settles a foot away from her. He is angled towards her, back ramrod-straight.]_

INO

_(as she hands Shino his drink)_ So there was something you wanted to talk about?

_[Shino takes the drink, then tips his head back and downs half of it, revealing his entire face in the process. Ino perks up, as this reminds her that Shino is hiding some serious good looks. Shino coughs a little on his last gulp and pulls a face as he rests the cup on his knee. Ino is charmed by this unexpected show of expression, and the corner of her mouth quirks up.]_

INO

You okay?

SHINO

_(ducking his face back behind the collar)_ Yes. I was not expecting the drink to be so sweet.

_[Ino props her arm up on the back of the bench and angles herself towards Shino. She crosses her legs his direction.]_

INO

Yeah, I love a good candy drink at a party. I'll order something different for you next time.

SHINO

It is not a problem, merely unexpected. It is refreshing.

INO

Oh. Okay, good.

SHINO

Yes.

_[Silence reigns supreme. Ino watches Shino, who begins to hunch his shoulders just enough to be noticeable. She smiles a severely enchanting smile.]_

INO

Are you having a good time?

_[Shino straightens back up immediately and turns his face away from her. The hand not occupied with his drink grips his knee.]_

SHINO

Yes.

_[Ino takes a casual sip of her drink and adjusts her crossed leg. She pretends that the toe of her shoe grazing Shino's leg is an accident. Shino trembles minutely and clears his throat.]_

INO

Are you sure? _(tilts her head) _Most people relax a little when they're having a good time.

_[Shino appears to be breathing harder, but his voice is steady when he speaks.]_

SHINO

_(quietly) _I assure you, I am having a very good time.

_[Ino brushes her foot against his leg again. Shino takes another large gulp of his drink. Ino's smile turns deadly.]_

INO

I guess it's just hard to tell with you. You're very mysterious.

_[She lets the toe of her shoe come to rest against Shino's shin, then leans forward and gazes at him from under her lashes. Shino knocks back the rest of his drink and angles his face towards the ground. His sunglasses slip down his nose a little.]_

INO

Maybe you can't relax because you're too warm in that coat.

_[This comment makes Shino freeze for a moment, then he turns his face towards her. His eyes are just visible over his glasses again. Ino takes another sip, then sets her drink on the arm of the bench. Then she slowly reaches her hand over to the collar of Shino's jacket. She slips her fingers around the flap and undoes the first fastening. Save for the movement of his chest, Shino is so still he could be carved out of marble.]_

INO

You're breathing kinda fast...

_[She lets this comment stretch between them as she undoes the second fastening, then the third. Shino's breathing is clearly audible through his nose now and his eyes widen the tiniest amount. Ino gently pulls the collar flap down and holds it open, putting Shino's handsome face on full display.]_

INO

_(eyes going half-lidded) _...and you seem to be awfully thirsty.

_[They watch each other for a few quiet seconds. Ino's eyes drift to Shino's throat as he swallows nervously, then drift a little lower to watch his chest expand as he takes a deep breath. Then she feels his exhale on her fingers, and her eyes dart back to his face just as he leans down to brush his lips over her knuckles. Ino freezes. __Shino's glasses have slid down his nose far enough that his eyes are almost fully visible, but he keeps his gaze down. He is still breathing hard. __A__s slowly as Ino had reached for his collar, Shino lets go of his knee and raises his hand to cradle Ino's wrist. __His lips hover above her hand for a moment, then h__e closes his eyes and lifts it to his lips, kissing the back of it softly.__]_

SHINO

_(very quietly against her skin) _Yes.

_[He opens his eyes and lifts them slightly to gauge her reaction. Ino's eyes are wide with surprise. __Shino drops his gaze again and gently turns her hand over. He dusts a featherlight kiss on her palm.]_

SHINO

Very.

_[He pulls her hand closer and presses ardent lips to the inside of her wrist.]_

SHINO

Thirsty.

_[Ino's quick intake of breath is audible. She extends her fingers to touch Shino's cheek. As if her touch shocks him, Shino immediately lifts his head and pulls a few inches back from her reach, but doesn't let go of her wrist. They stare at each other in silence.__]_

INO

_(breathily)_ ...oh.

_[They watch each other a few moments longer, then Ino makes another executive decision. She puts her crossed foot on the ground and uses the arm propped on the back of the bench to push herself up. She scoots her knee forward to press against Shino's thigh and looms over him. Shino's eyes go 'deer-in-the-headlights' huge as he gazes up at her, and Ino feels the panting breaths against her hand stop completely.]_

INO

Oh.

_[She leans down slowly and Shino's eyes snap shut. __Ino takes a moment to observe his long eyelashes, the nice set of lips always kept hidden. Then she presses her mouth delicately to his. Shino is motionless, lips stiff with tension. Ino lifts her mouth away, eyes flitting over his face.]_

INO

_(quietly) _Is this okay?

_[Shino's brows contract the tiniest amount. His fingers encircle her wrist and he exhales quickly as he leans up to close the distance between them again. His lips are more relaxed this time, though still tentative. Ino watches him through her lashes, letting Shino kiss her with all the sweetness he keeps so secret. He pulls back and inhales audibly.]_

SHINO

_(panting) _Yes.

_[He opens his eyes halfway. Ino gasps quietly, finally looking closely enough to notice the kikaichuu stirring within them. Her jaw drops a little, because it looks like Shino's eyes are two small windows to a flickering galaxy. Shino squeezes his eyes shut again and releases Ino's wrist as he leans back on the arm of the bench away from her.]_

SHINO

_(haltingly)_ I-I apologize. I know that my eyes are disturbing.

_[He reaches up to push his glasses back into place. Ino catches his hand. Her mouth opens on a thousand questions..._

_Does it hurt_

_Can you always feel them_

_Are they, like, constantly moving_

_Do their feet tickle_

_Does it hurt_

_Does it_

_...but her voice sticks in her throat. Shino's eyes stay closed.]_

SHINO

My clan—

_[Impulsively, Ino swoops down and kisses him again. This effectively cuts off what was sure to be a ramble for the ages. Ino drops Shino's hand to hover in the air between them and grabs the back of his head, tilting her own to seal her lips fully against his. He stiffens in surprise again, but Ino caresses his lips with hers and he slowly melts beneath her ministrations. Shino's shaky fingers graze her jaw as he starts to kiss her back. His kisses are still timid, and this drives Ino crazy, because she doesn't think she has ever encountered a man so hesitant to engage after she's gone to all the trouble of making moves on him. She coaxes his lips to move more confidently against hers. Then she slips him the tongue, because really, a man this handsome has no business being this shy. Shino sucks in a breath through his nose and breaks away again, eyes blowing wide open.]_

SHINO

_(panting) _Um, I—

_[Ino groans loudly and rebalances on her legs as she moves her other hand from the back of the bench into Shino's hair. She pulls him towards her again, using hot open-mouthed kisses to punctuate her words.]_

INO

_(kiss) _Shino. _(kiss) _Shut _(kiss)_ _up._

_[Shino nods, though he continues to make nonsense sounds between kisses. Ino considers this acceptable and twines her tongue around his. Shino responds with more enthusiasm this time. His hands drift to her shoulders and he dances his fingers lightly over them, as if he isn't sure he dares to hold her. Ino kisses him harder, as this awkwardness is astoundingly captivating. She glides her hands over his neck and down, making quick work of the next few fastenings on his coat. Shino finally settles his fingers on the tops of her arms. __Ino is pulling his jacket open more when the greenery rustles violently. Her head snaps up just in time to see Sakura pelting by their little alcove. Sakura briefly disappears amongst the leaves before reappearing as she elegantly scales the fence in five-inch heels. Ino hears the click of a few steps, followed by a muffled yelp that indicates this elegance was short-lived. Shino is panting heavily against her chin, which brings Ino back to the moment, but just as she resettles her lips on his, the greenery rustles again. Ino's head snaps up once more, t__his time to see Kiba dashing by on the same trajectory as Sakura. He disappears over the fence.]_

INO

Say what.

SHINO

_(hazily) _...what?

_[The gears in Ino's head whir, but Shino has grown bolder. He pushes a few clumsy kisses along her jaw and pulls her closer. Ino decides she has time for contemplation later. She presses her lips to Shino's again and smoothes her hands under his jacket.]_

**DISSOLVE TO****: INT. PARTY HALL - VERY EARLY MORNING**

_[Ino startles back to the present when one of the dancing partygoers scream-laughs. She glances around and observes her father wandering back in through the front doors of the hall. Inoichi raises the roof with a sleepy cheer as he jogs over to the partygoers to join in. Ino frowns, then sighs as she leans her head back against the wall, returning to her thoughts.]_

**FADE TO BLACK**

* * *

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Hope y'all enjoy this dollop of InoShino in bastardized script/screenplay format. It was a fun experiment.

To any protesters: our regularly scheduled (and formatted) KibaSakura show will be back next chapter, so suck it up. Love youuuuuu


	9. The Real Morning After

There's a decent amount of solo sexiness in this chapter, FYI. My muses are way horny.

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* * *

**8\. The Real Morning After**

* * *

Kiba always slept well after a great fuck. No better sleeping pill on the planet, and you can take that to the bank. He woke up on Shino's couch feeling like a million bucks, the high of finally getting some serious one-on-one time with Sakura still fresh in his mind. The feeling escalated when he felt a lump in his pocket and remembered that he still had her underwear.

Whether it was a canine instinct or pure perversion, Kiba loved a good pair of dirty panties, and these panties had the singular appeal of being coated in pure, uncut Sakura. He shoved his nose into them, reveling in the physical evidence that she'd been aroused well before he'd stalked her home. He'd smelled it before she'd pounced on him, that spiciness he was now intimately familiar with. It made sense that smelling it now made him incredibly hard all over again.

Kiba heard no movement from Shino's room, so he unzipped to take care of his pressing business, dick springing out at full mast. He wrapped his hand around it, inhaling her underwear again as he began reliving their coupling in his head, pumping steadily into his hand, nerve endings fizzing. Sakura's smell was recalling all the sensory data he'd burned into his memory with frightening accuracy. Kiba stuck his tongue out and swiped it over the crotch of her panties—_o__h_ _fuck, _even her leftovers tasted good. He closed his throat on a groan. No way he was lasting much longer. He tightened his grip and upped the speed of his strokes, suffocating himself with Sakura's essence as he pumped himself harder. His dick pulsed and he finished with a few quiet grunts, stroking himself until he went soft, blitzed on endorphins.

Kiba placed the panties on the back of the couch and pulled his splattered shirt over his head, using it to carefully clean up the mess on his stomach. As he glanced down at himself, he caught sight of the angry red scratches across his pecs and grinned. He'd just re-experienced the arousal staining her panties and now here was further proof of Sakura's pleasure from the first time he'd gotten her off. It would have been the second time if she'd let him keep his face between her legs, but that was just splitting hairs. Kiba grinned wider as he counted the lines: five—no, six, six and a _half_. He relaxed back onto the couch and folded an arm behind his head, leaving his damp shirt balled up on his stomach. Decent marks overall, but definite room for improvement. He'd make sure to pull out all the stops for the judge next time around.

He gazed at the ceiling, gently chewing his lip as he replayed that moment in his head. Her wildness had inspired him to grace her lovely skin with a brand of his own pleasure. The bite was a clan thing, a primal practice intended to keep desired partners coming back for more. Of course, Kiba had never had a want nor a need to do it before, as getting return customers was a nonissue for him and his interest was a fickle thing where the majority of the female population was concerned. Plenty of hot babes among them, but one babe was usually as good as another for him. Sakura was a different matter entirely, though. Telling himself years ago that he could be satisfied with one taste of her was the lie of the century, his craving had only intensified the more of her skin he'd been able to get in his mouth. He needed her to come back for more and then some. Sakura wasn't some flavor of the week, she was the flavor he wanted to enjoy over and over.

Kiba licked his lip where he'd been gnawing. That flavor had been even better than he'd imagined, hell, _everything _had been better than he'd imagined… He lazily rubbed his hand over his dick, at half mast again already, pausing but a moment to grab the panties and drape them over his face, grounding himself back in that delicious scent memory. _He_ was the reason she'd gotten so wet. _H__e _was the reason her panties smelled this good. Kiba bit his lip again, cock going hard as diamond remembering the way she'd constricted around him when he'd bitten her. His hand was a poor facsimile of her velvet warmth, but her juddered moan echoed in his ear and he quickly lost himself in the remembrance again.

This was a nice sexy time until his mental replay got to the part where Sakura had started viciously dragging pleasure out of his body and the sexiness took a troubling turn. Kiba frowned and rewound to a less controversial part of the mental film reel to finish himself off. He used his shirt to wipe up again and tossed it onto the growing pile of laundry in the corner, then tucked his dick back in his pants and his arm back behind his head, thoughts churning. The whole event had been hot as hell, no mistake, and Sakura's physical satisfaction had been crystal clear, but now Kiba was cycling back to the more uncertain factors surrounding their tumble. Post-nut clarity kicked in with a vengeance and his optimism withered. Though their issue had seemed to smooth itself out for that delicious chunk of the night, he was in much the same position with Sakura as he'd been before.

It was beyond late to accept that he was straight-up shit at apologies. The fact that his half-assed attempt had led to some majorly hot fucking meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, if her expression when she'd bolted was any indication. Sure, she still hadn't pounded his face in, but she also hadn't looked happy by any stretch of the imagination. Kiba closed his eyes and skimmed back over everything, focusing more on the peripheral details. Sakura had been awash in pleasure until around about when he'd shifted positions and changed his angle of attack, so to speak, but she'd also legitimately screamed when he did it, so the shift itself was unlikely to be the problem.

Then he remembered her expression when she'd touched the bite mark, anger sizzling over her features just before she'd held him down and given him the ride of his fucking life... Hmm. Looking back on his actions in the cold light of day, Kiba could see how drawing blood from one's lover without asking might not be generally appreciated. Sakura had scratched him, but all things being equal, puncture wounds were a different category of injury. Possibly if his big brain had been more conscious at the time, he would've chosen a different course of action, but probably not. Kiba had long been a creature of instinct and his instincts had urged him to make an impression on her she wouldn't forget, so he had. They didn't specify that it should be a good impression.

Kiba wasn't one for overthinking and sometimes didn't think at all, entire case in point.

He peered at the clock on Shino's bookshelf, then sat up and cracked his neck, staring blankly at the coffee table. It was what it was. It's not like he hadn't already been on Sakura's shit list. No use worrying about more spilled milk.

And speaking of spilled milk, he'd totally spilled milk _all up in_ her insides.

Kiba ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. _Shit_. Well, that was a definite no-no, but it wasn't something he could take back after the fact. He heaved himself off the couch to go shower, adding another tally-mark to his Fucking Up With Sakura scoreboard. Guilt was beginning to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Not that this stopped his thoughts from steaming up again while he was waiting for the water to get hot, because thinking about coming inside her was something he'd been doing a lot lately and now he'd actually _done it._ And she'd _moaned_ about it—aw shit, there went his dick again. In response to this below-decks mutiny, Kiba jabbed his toothbrush in his mouth and glared at his reflection as he brushed, more irritated with himself by the second. This was how he treated the woman he'd been yearning for? He didn't deserve that six and a half.

As he leaned into the sink to spit, he clocked a noticeable redness on one earlobe in the mirror. Kiba blinked at it while he rinsed, cognition still slow courtesy of his circulatory system rerouting blood to his smaller head, when it hit him: _Sakura had bit him too_. His mouth fell open, dripping like a shitty water feature as his brain filled in the gaps. How could he forget she'd _bit him_? She'd also said she was gonna make him her bitch—that was _his _line! Kiba's face contorted in a confusing snarl of indignation and arousal at this hypocrisy. Fair dues if she was still pissed about the Girlfriend fib, but to double down on it because of his love bite... What, she could dish it out but not take it?

Well actually, she could take it like a champ, _say no more say no more, know what I mean, nudge nudge._

"_Fuck!_" was all he could say as he stepped under the hot water, dick still bobbing persistently against his stomach. He grit his teeth as he cranked away at his third erection of the day, leaning his forehead into the tile. His ANBU persona had a meeting with the Hokage and he needed at least a moderate level of brain power diverted away from juicy fantasies. Best to just get it out of his system, inconvenience notwithstanding. _Sexy hypocrites _notwithstanding.

So it was with a clean body but begrudgingly dirty mind that ANBU operative Boar slipped into the Hokage's office. Tsunade wasn't there, but Hawk was leaning against the far wall, taking advantage of the Hokage's absence to hunch in unprofessional misery. Kiba could smell the booze seeping out of his pores and snorted as he crossed the room.

"You can keep your damned mouth shut," Neji muttered. His mask tilted towards Kiba as he approached. "Also I'm sorry for molesting you last night."

"Anytime, stud." Kiba gave him some slick finger guns. A wink would have been better, but masks took all the fun out of platonic flirting.

Neji grunted, then said, "What the hell happened to your ear?"

Kiba leaned against the wall beside him, thankful masks hid scowls as well as winks. "Fleas."

The door flew open before Neji could comment further and both men immediately went down into a respectful crouch. Tsunade strode in closely followed by Shizune, hammering out some other meeting times by the sounds of it. She settled behind her desk with a heavy exhale, watching Shizune leave the room muttering to herself. As soon as the door shut, her eyes flicked to the pair of them, gaze and voice sharp. "Forensics came back with some useful information. Mass spectrometry on the fragment residue points unquestionably at the Hidden Stone, however the origins of the soil samples from the attackers' shoes muddy the water, so to speak." No one laughed, the pun was terrible. Tsunade continued, propping an elbow on her desk and cushioning her chin on her palm, "The soil points to them basing out of a wide area away from the Hidden Stone. Land of Hills is included in that radius, as well as land over our borders. I've already sent another team out to take a wide swath of soil samples, see if we can't narrow the margins a little."

She flipped open a folder and grabbed the top two sheets of paper, waving them at Kiba. "I'll accept convalescing as a valid reason for not writing a report. Skim Hawk's and see if you have anything to add."

Kiba stood and stepped up to the desk. He flicked his eyes over Neji's neat writing. "Had an acrid smell to 'em, but that's probably connected to the explosives. Nothing I recognized offhand. The wind was blowing in their favor, so I didn't get a great scent profile. Hawk covers everything else." He handed the report back. Tsunade jotted a note in the margin, _acrid smell_ _= explosives?_.

Neji spoke up from his place by the wall, still crouching but making a valid effort to sound like he didn't want to be a puddle on the ground. "What does Kusagakure have to say?"

Tsunade shifted her gaze to him, leaning back in her chair. "Their official position is that they have nothing to do with it and had no prior knowledge of any threat. They've also offered to back us in getting to the bottom of it, which I accepted." She picked up her tea cup, frowning at it when she realized it was empty.

Kiba crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his fingers idly on his bicep. "This mean they're sending their own teams to investigate?"

Tsunade nodded as she set her cup down again. "A squad of Grass ninja is already out sampling the far side of the indicated territory. They'll meet our boys in the middle, then everyone is bringing their samples here, as that's the best way to ensure everything's being processed the same way. It's turning out to be quite beneficial that the new daimyo is a trained shinobi, he's functioning more like a kage than anything. Way more tolerable than those stuffed-shirt old geezers who think sitting on their asses all day is productive."

Kiba controlled his tongue and kept his personal thoughts about the new daimyo to himself, though his scowl deepened behind the mask. Neji forced his sad carcass to stand and moved up beside Kiba. "It will be good to have more boots on the ground."

"Well, you know what they say: keep your friends close, potential enemies closer." Tsunade gave them a wry smile, folding her hands under her chin. "I'll be keeping you two on this case, but stand by for now. There won't be anything to do until we have a clearer picture." The Hokage turned back to other work. "Dismissed."

Both men crouched again, then slipped out the designated window, nodding at each other before flickering off to their separate destinations. Neji likely needed to put his head in a toilet. Kiba headed back 'Home'. With the meeting done, his day was wide open. Provided Shino's day was equally free, it was probably a good time to do some more of that Telling Friends Details thing he was so fond of.

In no time at all, Kiba was slipping back through the window of his bogarted apartment. His sudden entrance scared the bejeezus out of his involuntary roommate, and Kiba put on a tiny burst of speed to catch the full carton of orange juice Shino dropped before it hit the ground. Shino stumbled back a little, then deflated with a huge sigh. Kiba set the juice on the counter and pulled his mask off, cocking an eyebrow. "Do I smell booze on you?"

Shino was noticeably impaired up close, sunglasses curiously absent. They weren't prescription lenses, but he seemed to be having a hard time focusing without them. "It would be more accurate to say you smell alcohol coming out of me." He straightened up unsteadily, running both hands up over his face and through his hair, then grabbed the juice, pouring a glass full with more concentration than anyone over age 5 should need.

Kiba looked at the small clouds of kikaichuu floating dreamily around the room and grinned, leaning a hip against the countertop. "You disappear on me to get loaded and still have the balls to sass me on particulars? Don't think you're hurtin' bad enough."

"That is not why I disappeared, nor is that what happened. You know I do not like to drink alcohol." Shino's expression was walking a fine line between sanctimonious and embarrassed as he crossed the small space to put the juice back in the fridge. He briefly lay his hand on an egg carton before seeming to decide eggs were too complicated at the moment, and reached up to grab a cereal box off the top of the fridge.

"But obviously you did, so..." Kiba pulled a bowl out of the cabinet by his head.

Shino took the bowl out of his hands and set it down with a clunk, swaying slightly as he fumbled the cereal open. "I consumed a grand total of one alcoholic beverage. A faction of my kikaichuu snuck out and consumed a great deal more. The effect seems to be cumulative."

Kiba's forehead creased, now thoroughly curious. "They goin' through a delayed teenage rebellion or some shit?"

Now Shino was definitely embarrassed, color collecting in the high points of his cheeks. "It is more a matter of 'some shit' as you say than rebellion. The kikaichuu seem to have a taste for fruit-flavored drinks and I was… distracted." He leaned a hand on the edge of the counter, abandoning the cereal to massage his temples with the other.

"Was gonna say, you smell fruity as hell, fruity and…" Kiba leaned over to take a big whiff, then another, narrowing his eyes at Shino, whose shoulders stiffened. "…hold up." Kiba followed his nose out of the kitchen and over to Sakura's shoes, which he'd left under the coffee table. He hadn't paid much attention to them since he wasn't especially excited by feet, but he'd registered that they didn't fully smell like her. They smelled like the scent that clung to Shino under his mixed drink perfume, smelled like…

Kiba flipped through his mental rolodex of smells until he hit pay dirt. Then he turned back to Shino with an outrageous gasp and smiled like the devil. "You _slut_."

* * *

Sakura's morning had started out a little different than Kiba's. She hadn't woken up with a headache so much as with a dull resonance in her skull that begged for hydration. She'd peeled her face off the pillow and grimly inspected the smudges from makeup she'd neglected to remove, then shuffled into her kitchen. After her first glass of water, she'd noticed she was still wearing her party clothes. It was when she was downing her second that she'd realized she was only _mostly_ clothed, and had performed a beautiful spit-take for an audience of none when she'd remembered _why_. Then she'd crawled into her shower, where she now sat having a nice cringe as the newest installment of Gettin' Frisky With Kiba swept through her brain.

Sakura desperately wanted to blame her actions on alcohol, but her consent had been aggressively enthusiastic, so no dice. It really came down to intense horniness and the growing murkiness in her heart that she refused to acknowledge. Because acknowledging would make it real. Acknowledging would make it Something To Address. Now or somewhere down the line, acknowledging was inviting pain.

Even so, despite her very deliberately turning a blind eye, the murk was strongly affecting her brain. She'd _specifically_ instructed herself not to give in, yet one encouraging whisper from the voice in her head and she'd hopped aboard the ol' dick train. Her brain unhelpfully replayed the vicious tongue-lashing she'd given him, so satisfying until she'd realized it had morphed into a form of dirty talk. While she couldn't really speak to Kiba's enjoyment of it, she'd riled herself right into her next orgasm, and how fucking embarrassing was _that. _Sakura dug her fingernails into her scalp, but unfortunately no amount of manic shampooing could fix her disappointing lack of self-discipline.

Kiba's face floated behind her eyelids as she rinsed, blissed-out and dopey in the dim light of her memory. She heard his ragged breathing, the roughness in his voice, _wanna get outta here?…_ and go where? Had he really expected they'd go to a secondary location and carry on? Sakura swiped water out of her eyes. _Of course_ that's what he'd expected. Hell, impulsive public sex was probably just an average Thursday night for Kiba, and why wouldn't he want to keep the good times rolling? She took a minute to hate herself as she cleansed her body. Running the cloth between her legs was a necessary step in this process, but the intimate reminder it triggered was extremely _un_necessary. The hot spray played along her spine in a mockery of remembered fingers and Sakura growled, cranking the tap all the way Cold immediately.

"No, no, _no_," she said out loud, voice bouncing off the tile. She was getting caught up in hormones and her libido was out of control, that's all.

_Coward, _the voice in her head hissed.

Sakura stood under the cold water a long time in hopes of maybe catching spontaneous hypothermia so she could peacefully pass away from her problems. But her constitution was too strong and she had a meeting to get to, so her sudden tragic death would have to be postponed. She got out and toweled off, appraising herself in the mirror. Her face looked perkier than she was expecting, eyes bright. Her body seemed to approve of her turmoil. Sakura turned to hang her towel up, and her eyes caught on the discoloration at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She angled herself to get a better look. The bruising was surprisingly minor, the indentations left by Kiba's teeth almost delicate.

If he'd mindlessly bitten her in the heat of passion, it would have left a nasty wound considering how sharp his teeth were, but this… the careful punctures spoke to him deliberately holding himself back, _deliberately_ marking her. Marking didn't strike her as a casual thing, but Kiba had done it without ceremony, without asking permission. It made her wonder how many other women he'd done it to. Was it a mark of approval, a stamp of _Would Do Again_ etched in flesh? Sakura exhaled loudly through her nose, clenching her teeth as anger stoked back up, and slapped her hand over the bite. But as she pressed healing chakra into the broken skin, a fierce heat surged through her, swirling down to her core.

She fell against the sink and steadied herself with a white-knuckled grip, suddenly throbbing with remembrance of the solid warmth of him beneath her. Without thinking, she pushed more chakra into the bite and the heat doubled down. Her knees buckled, and she sank to the floor with a gasp, a new unprompted lick of heat kissing her neck. She felt arms around her, hot breath in her hair, and moaned as her inner walls squeezed around a memory. Arousal pulled her hand between her legs like a magnet, and she was shockingly wet already. Sakura threw her head back as she delved into her folds, mindless, consumed by the fire in her veins. It only took her a few minutes to sail over the edge of the abyss, and she crumpled against the cabinet, panting. Sakura struggled to pull her thoughts together as her pulse slowed. What the hell did he do to her? That was the hardest she'd orgasmed in a long time using just her fingers, and it was infuriating that that cocky son of a bitch had any part in it.

Her imagination was unbothered by her distress, happily cueing up new exciting scenarios she could engage the cocky son of a bitch in. Sakura growled at the ceiling. She used the counter to pull herself back to standing, glaring at the mark in the mirror. It remained unhealed. If anything, it looked darker than before she'd messed with it. _Shit._

She sank into a real mood as she dressed, discovering she was out of concealer. Her regular tops would only partially cover the bite. This forced the option of wearing a turtleneck, which she hated, but at least she had a sleeveless one to bear the unseasonably warm weather.

She made her way to Hokage Tower with heavy steps. Shizune seemed to be in a mood of her own, bags heavy under her eyes as she handed Sakura the latest forensics on the attack without looking up from her work. Recalling that the woman had hit the Drunk Limbo level on the Party Hardy scale last night, Sakura quietly took a seat, waiting for the council members inside Tsunade's office to stop yapping about whatever stupid shit was up their ass this week. She scanned over the report with partial attention. Try as she might, most of her brain power remained stubbornly devoted to thinking about Kiba. Sakura slumped further in her uncomfortable chair and stared at the ceiling until her mentor's door opened. It expelled a small herd of grumbling old people. When they'd cleared the area, Sakura wandered in and slumped into the more comfortable chair in front of Tsunade's desk, who eyed her.

"You too, huh? Spring Fling claims another one." The older woman gently shook her head as she conjured her hidden bottle of office sake and two finely lacquered sakazuki. She filled both saucers generously and pushed one Sakura's way. "Go on, then."

Sakura blew bangs off her face. "It's more of a shame hangover than anything, but booze is probably a cure for that too." She leaned forward and slid the saucer up to the edge of the desk, leaning her head down to slurp out of it until she could pick it up without slopping any on herself.

Tsunade snorted lightly. "Always worked on both for me. Anyway, I see you've got the latest report. Did you have time to look at it?" Sakura nodded and she continued. "Great. So we've already got a team in the field sampling. Kusagakure is cooperating and contributing a team of their own so we cover ground faster. Additionally, Juutoku is coming here."

If Sakura had had an ounce of belief in anything she couldn't prove, the timing of this would have smacked an awful lot of something like 'divine machination' or possibly 'fate'. But she'd severed herself from the idea of fate having any hand in her life long ago and buried it deep. Divine machination existing would imply that even with world-bending power, the gods preferred to embroil the humans suffering their graces in racy drama for kicks.

And if fate were real, Kiba wouldn't have waited so many years to kiss her again.

Sakura flipped back to the mental picture she had of Sougen, those low-pressure days of "Kiba who?". Sougen had also made her feel warm. Maybe it would be enough.

_Coward._

Sakura's jaw clenched and she drained her sake. Tsunade was watching her. Realizing she'd been quiet too long, Sakura cleared her throat and said, "In an effort to streamline the communication path, I assume?"

"It's probably more about the optics. Talk is cheap, saying they have nothing to do with it isn't as impactful as actively helping us," Tsunade said, pursing her lips a little as she lifted her own drink to them. "And in one of his messages, Juutoku said he wanted to inspect the bodies himself. Not sure what he'd be looking for that a photo and a report couldn't tell him, but the council was already up my ass about inviting him here, so..." She shrugged.

Sakura nodded slowly, staring into her empty sakazuki. Tsunade grunted at her, hefting the sake jug, and Sakura put her saucer down for a refill. Tsunade spoke as she poured. "He'll be here in a few days. He also requested a medical follow-up and named you specifically, so unless you have any objections, I'm assigning you to be his all-purpose aide while he's here."

Sakura shook her head as she collected her drink. "No objections. He's a nice man."

Tsunade topped up her own saucer, then leaned back in her chair, adopting a conversational tone. "You know, it's evident from the way he writes that you made an impression on him."

Sakura clenched her empty hand, flexing her bicep. "I gave it my best."

"Apparently so." Tsunade's eyes narrowed, and the corner of her mouth pulled up. "You being his aide was actually his suggestion. He called you 'a delightful breath of fresh air'."

Her mentor's tone implied this was not usually the case. Sakura glared at her, saying grumpily, "I _am _delightful. I heal people and they are delighted."

"Indeed," Tsunade said, smile widening. "Juutoku is so delighted he asked for restaurant recommendations so he can take you to dinner."

"Like I said, he's a nice man," Sakura said, a genuine smile leaking across her mouth as she took a sip of sake. Then it clicked that this was the wrong response. Her mentor's smile morphed into the smile of a villain who'd just learned the hero's weakness. _Uh oh._

"Uh-huh," Tsunade said, "So is he the type that's good-looking or is he good with words?"

Flirting with patients was generally frowned upon, and risked turning into sexual misconduct if advances were made. Of course, Sakura hadn't done anything outside the boundaries of what was necessary to complete Sougen's healing, but most medical professionals finding themselves in that flirty gray area made efforts to distance themselves. She hadn't, in her grapple for distraction. She also hadn't considered that Sougen was in a position to unintentionally rat her out her to her mentor. Tsunade wasn't one to nitpick technicalities so long as the job got done right, but Sakura wasn't sure if she'd let this slide or not. "It's more complex than that," she muttered behind her sakazuki, sinking further in her chair. "Also, he's both."

Tsunade propped her elbow on the arm of her chair, chin in hand. "More complex than you charming the pants off a new political leader? Tell me more."

"I spent that mission working very closely with him and freed him from pain," Sakura said. She paused to take another fortifying sip. "That's a complex thing. And you know how long healings are, plenty of time for conversation. He's very intelligent and I enjoyed talking with him, that's all. His pants stayed on, thank you very much."

Tsunade took a very pointed sip of her own sake and gazed at Sakura evenly. "The way he writes about it, I don't think he would have minded them coming off."

Sakura wouldn't have minded either, but she couldn't say that. She finished her drink, then looked her mentor in the eye. "What are you getting at?"

Tsunade's gaze sharpened. "I just want you to have a clear picture of the situation as you're going into it, since you need to keep in mind we still don't know the instigator of this attack or their motives."

The unspoken message was clear: _mind how you go_. Sakura shifted in her seat. Tsunade assessed her for a moment, then said, "Your personal life is yours to manage, even if it includes high-ranking members of other nations and their pants. But your mission parameters include monitoring Juutoku Sougen for any suspicious behavior. Do you still choose to accept this mission?"

Her mentor's expression was unreadable. Sakura sat up in her chair, putting her shoulders back. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade's eyes softened. "Good. Frankly, your lapse in professionalism gives us an entry point for closer monitoring than previously anticipated, though let's hope it's ultimately unnecessary." She drained her saucer, then crooked her finger at Sakura's. "Hand your dish over. If you're being that formal with me, you haven't had enough."

The sake made the walk home a bit lighter, but Sakura's earlier mood hovered at the edges of her consciousness. Sougen coming to town would only add to the complications multiplying in her life. Obviously having to monitor him would put a dampener on the pleasant flirtation she was anticipating, but it was worse than that. Because she still couldn't stop thinking about Kiba.

She was so distracted she didn't notice the beautiful demon waiting in the shade of a tree by the steps leading into her building.

"Well, well, well," the demon drawled, voice oozing self-satisfaction, "Look what the cat dragged in."

Sakura's head snapped up and she froze mid-step. Ino's eyes were practically glowing. "Or was it a dog?"

* * *

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If you catch the Monty Python classic I shoehorned in there, you get my unending affections. _Unending._ Can't put a price on that.


	10. The One Where Sakura's Bad At Feelings

This chapter fought me like Rock Lee on speed. Apparently I hate working through feelings.

Minor edit 5/15/20 because I have that low-key "you fucked up" paranoia going with this dumb chapter

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**9\. The One Where Sakura's Bad At Feelings**

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"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Or was it a dog?" Ino's tone was smug. She looked like she hadn't had nearly enough to drink at the party, eyes all sparkly, skin glowing, really showing her true colors as a gorgeous asshole. Sakura stared at her and again regretted not having the time to quietly pass away earlier in the day. She considered outright denial, but Ino had deliberately sought her out to pose this leading question. The insinuation implied that Ino had some kind of lead on the truth but it was vague, so how much she knew was unclear.

Sakura raised a brow as she resumed forward motion, trying to pull off that casual slouchy walk Kakashi always did as she ascended the steps of her building. "You were right the first time."

Ino raised her own brow higher, shoving away from the tree she'd been leaning on. "About?"

"The saying. It's 'look what the cat dragged in'." Sakura typed in her entry code and threw a bored look over her shoulder as she turned the handle. "Just so you know."

Ino came up the steps and slipped in behind her. "Oh, I know, but I also know you had a lost puppy follow you home." Ino casually hooked a finger into Sakura's turtleneck collar and pulled it down. She had the wrong side and exposed only normal bare skin.

"Hmm," Ino mused, lips twisting. Then she saw Sakura's hunted expression and started to slide her finger around towards the other side. Thus began a brief tussle for the other side of Sakura's collar, which Ino won when Sakura was distracted trying to move them out of the doorway so another building occupant could leave.

"Wow_._" Ino said, wrenching Sakura's shoulder toward her and peering at the mark. "I was expecting a hickey. That's a legit love bite."

Sakura shook her off and headed up the stairs. "Is there a difference?"

Ino followed her without invitation. "I mean, kind of. Hickeys are mostly sucking and light gnawing, though I suppose Dog Boy can't do anything about those fangs. Nothing light on offer with those babies."

Sakura paused in unlocking her front door to treat Ino to an eye roll from the depths of her tired soul. "_All right_, you got me. Take me away, officer." She entered and hung up her keys.

"I should. As I recall, my angle was for you to tease your mystery man with your beauty and leave him thirsty, not tease him and let him suck on your neck like a Big Gulp. " Ino raised her eyebrows at Sakura as she kicked her sandals into a pile, then flounced past into the living room.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sakura mumbled. She toed her own shoes off and padded into the kitchen to boil some water for tea. Ino was off the mark slightly, but Sakura didn't feel like correcting her. It was only a matter of time before she figured it out anyway, and Ino always took such joy in exposing secrets. It would be unkind to spoil her fun.

Ino dropped onto the couch and sat on her knees, folding her arms over the back. "You know the fun police have no beef with sloppy make-out sessions, we wholeheartedly endorse them. I'm only here to investigate my suspicions about the identity of your scandalous playboy crush, now confirmed. Definite scumbag." Sakura hummed vaguely in agreement as she filled the kettle in the sink. Ino continued talking. "Why have you been keeping this whole thing under wraps? I mean, Dog Boy's on a whole other wavelength from the guys you normally go for, but in spite of his many flaws, even I can admit he's a sexy slice of cake. Aside from the fake girlfriend trick, he's not that embarrassing a choice."

"Yeah, aside from _that_," Sakura said. She got the kettle heating on the stove and turned to lean her back against the counter, wrapping her fingers under the edge.

Ino's tone turned mollifying. "Look, I'm not going to deny it's shameful to give him sugar after what he pulled, but honestly, pride is overrated in times of need." She gave a casual shrug. "I mean, why not get you some? Homeboy's tongue skills are notorious."

Ino was edging closer to the truth, as Sakura had experienced Kiba's tongue skills in multiple fascinating ways. Her body was only too happy to warm at the slightest recollection and she worried her lower lip between her teeth, feeling the heat crawling into her cheeks. _Rude._

Ino read Sakura's body language like only a best friend can, and her face stretched into a positively vile grin. "_Oh_. Guess the Fuck Me pumps are astonishingly effective."

"Argh," Sakura said, letting her head fall back.

Ino cackled with glee. "I like your style, Forehead. He jerks you around, so to really stick it to him, you let him stick it to you."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, expression flat. "I didn't LET him do anything."

"Sure, you just told him to go fuck himself, then did it for him. Artful." Ino hopped up and moseyed into the kitchen to prop a hip against the opposite counter.

"I was drunk?" It was such an obvious lie, Sakura lost the will to deliver it as the words left her mouth.

"Yeah right," Ino snorted, "You're so full of shit, your eyes are gonna turn brown. Alright, let's get all up to date here." She held a hand out to the side like she was presenting an invisible list of information hanging in the air. "The mystery man, now known as Dog Boy, acts up when another guy flirts with you. Then he kisses you while simultaneously being a huge asshole. This on-brand behavior inexplicably makes your little heart go pitty-pat. _Then _he makes your hoo-ha go HOO-ha. Obviously I'm going to need more details on all of the above, but let's start with the sex."

Sakura made a reluctant sound in the back of her throat. The details were unbecoming. Ino cocked a brow, crossing her arms authoritatively. "I'm not leaving till you dish."

Sakura shrugged, closing her eyes. "What can I say, he was insistent on following me and it felt like a good night to get dicked down." A thought flashed and she shifted a hand up to dig into her temples, groaning a little. "I left your shoes…"

"Where, Dog Boy's place?"

Sakura shut her eyes tighter and muttered, "Someone's front yard."

Silence. After a few moments, Sakura opened her eyes. Ino's jaw was slack, but the corners of her mouth were pulling up. "Whose yard?"

"Like I know? It was on that leafy boulevard a few streets over, can't remember the street name." Sakura put her entire face in her hands, riding a fresh wave of shame. "I can't believe I just threw him in someone's yard. I can't believe no one _heard_ us."

"If it's the street I think it is, it's almost entirely old people living there. You really couldn't have picked a better front yard to get railed in." Ino bobbed her eyebrows, grinning. "How many garden gnomes did you expose to your carnal filth?"

Sakura groaned louder. "It's not funny, Pig."

"I agree, it's a beautiful gift those gnomes will treasure for the rest of their boring gnome lives." Ino shooed Sakura out of the way so she could pilfer the cabinets for snacks.

Sakura slumped into her living room, happy to let Ino take over playing hostess. She felt very tired again. Ino allowed her a minute of relative peace, tutting to herself about Sakura needing to go grocery shopping more often. Then she hopped right back to the intrusive questioning. "Not to be a total buzzkill, but did you use protection?"

Sakura roused from her prone position on the couch. "My IUD is on duty 24/7."

"And goddess bless, but pregnancy isn't really the concern." The kettle whistled. Cabinet doors clunked as Ino hunted for Sakura's little ceramic teapot. "You know as well as I do that Dog Boy gets around."

Sakura grimaced as she sat up and scooted her back against the arm rest. "He had a physical recently. I saw his blood-work when I signed off on the final report."

"Ah, I see. Use your hospital clout to check out the goods all official-like ahead of time, then let him raw-dog you. Nasty girl." Ino's tone conveyed full approval of the nastiness. "Is his dick game as good as rumors claim?"

Sakura managed a single dull chuckle deep in her throat and said, "No smoke without fire."_A hot fire burning out of control that I leapt into like a lunatic. Oh _yes_, very good. _She pulled her knees up and leaned her head into them. _Goddamnit._

Ino joined her on the couch, setting a haphazard tray of goodies on the coffee table and ripping into a packet of ginger snaps. "So does this mean you've forgiven him?"

"Technically he hasn't apologized, unless he was thrusting in code," Sakura said dourly, leaning forward to snag a cookie. She nibbled as she stared into the middle distance, trying to ignore the murk swirling in the back of her mind. "I was hard up enough that jumping his bones seemed like much better revenge than teasing. By the end, I'd burned through the sex haze enough to be mortified by my loss of control and didn't feel like sticking around to see if he'd finally pulled his head out of his ass, so I dipped."

Ino paused her munching, half-eaten cookie hanging in the air. "Wait, you were the one to initiate the fucking _and_ the running?" She gazed at Sakura contemplatively for a moment. "And you had him literally within reach and didn't take the opportunity to put him in a chokehold until he begged forgiveness." Ino's eyes narrowed. "_And_ you've been doing that avoidance dance you do when dudes start getting too close, albeit much more prematurely than usual."

Sakura stuffed her mouth full of cookie, glaring at nothing in particular.

"Interesting." Ino flicked a crumb off the corner of her mouth. "I can't officially diagnose you without testing, but... I think you might have it _bad_." Sakura opened her mouth for her routine denial to fall out but Ino waved her off, wagging her finger in the general direction of Sakura's shoulder. "Uh-uh, you can't pretend you aren't harboring some kind of something for Dog Boy, otherwise you'd have already healed up those fang marks."

Sakura's glare hardened. "I _tried_. It didn't work."

Ino flipped up a hand, face quizzical. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"It means it didn't work. The mark wouldn't heal." Sakura's jaw clenched.

"Again, what?" Ino's brow furrowed.

"I _don't_ _know,_" Sakura spat through gritted teeth, "I put chakra into it and it rebounded on me."

"Hmm," Ino watched her cooly for few seconds, then sighed. "Can I be honest with you?"

Sakura's tone was dismal. "Could I stop you?"

Ino put the cookies back on the tray and poured out tea for the both of them. "You need to straighten this shit out."

"Um, obviously," Sakura said as Ino handed her a cup.

"No, I don't think you're catching my meaning here. You need to straighten _all _this shit out." Ino fixed her with a look and cut right to the heart of the matter like she always did. "The bite's one thing. But I know what it means when you get torqued up like this, even if you've forgotten because you like to write it off as youthful stupidity or whatever. Stop finding stupid reasons to deny yourself good things. Go sweep Dog Boy off his feet, fuck his brains out, whatever you want to do!"

Sakura pulled her legs up and hunched down over her tea like a gremlin. "Sure, because it's just that easy," she muttered into her cup.

Ino leaned back, blowing on her own tea with a delicate pout. "You found it easy enough last night."

"Last night was only easy because I had enough liquid courage in me to stop thinking. But..." Sakura tried to think of some path she could lead Ino down that would take them safely away from sappy admission territory, but the murk was clouding her brain.

Ino's tone softened. "Go on, spit it out. Tell Mama Ino."

Tell her what? Sakura tipped too-hot tea into her mouth, frustration siphoning back. She snarled fingers through her hair as she swallowed, then spoke into her knees. "I'm being an idiot."

"How?"

How indeed. Sakura's emotions had been brewing into thunderheads over the past weeks, hot pressure accumulating in her head, occasional flashes of lightning highlighting her spinelessness, but now the urge to turn her face up and let the cooling rain drench her was piercingly sweet. If she couldn't tell her best friend about this, there'd be no way to even begin approaching the matter with the man at the center of things. Maybe it was time to rip the bandaid off.

This tiny bravery echoed in Sakura's chest like a sigh of relief. "Because yet again I'm developing feelings for a man who is unavailable to return them. And that's something idiots do."

Ino burst out laughing. "Are you still drunk? Dog Boy is _extremely_ available, if him chasing you over a fence is any indication."

Sakura had been curious how Ino had figured her out in the first place, but this wasn't the time. "Physically available, yes. Emotionally, not so much."

"How do you know? You already said you guys didn't discuss anything," Ino scoffed at her, shaking her head. "You know how ironic it is that one of the baddest bitches around runs scared at the first whiff of feelings?"

Sakura showed her teeth in the semblance of a smile. "Hey pot, it's the kettle."

Ino sneered mildly. "I don't run from feelings, I just choose not to have feelings for men who can't handle them, which so far has been all of them. Doesn't mean I don't hop into the pool and swim around sometimes. _You,_ on the other hand, won't even stick your toes in the water."

"Yeah, because I've worked too hard to get derailed because my heart is too dumb to stop touching the goddamn stove after getting burned." Sakura exhaled from the depths of her lungs, breath leaving her with a hiss between her teeth. "The era of _Sasuke-kun_ was a hard lesson in self-respect."

"Okay, but you're catastrophizing based on the _one time_ you liked a boy too much when you were, like, _prepubescent,_" Ino said, gesturing with her free hand,

Sakura rolled her eyes at the inaccuracy of that statement. "Yeah, well, I think I've proven I'm thoroughly irresponsible when high on fucking _feelings, _that's all I'm saying."

"Unless there's a different tragic romance you've neglected to tell me about, Sasuke's a weird case study to be basing this irrational fear on."

Sakura squirmed a little, since there was indeed a brief tragic romance she'd neglected to tell Ino about that just so happened to _also_ involve Kiba.

Ino didn't notice her additional discomfort. "You _need to go talk to Kiba_. About all of it."

Sakura couldn't help her significant lack of enthusiasm. "Yeah, sure, I'll just go up to him and be like 'I know you're a big man whore and all, but I think I'm falling for you, saddle up'. Perfect."

Ino's gaze was unwavering. "While his stupidity isn't an excuse, it _is _a fact, and you need to level with the man. At the very least, maybe this can be a learning experience, get him to think a little harder before he gets hard next time. Crazier things have happened."

"Hrrrrrr," was all Sakura had to say to that. They sat silently for a minute, Ino watching Sakura, Sakura ignoring her in favor of staring down the tea at the bottom of her cup.

Then Ino said, "What do you actually want?"

Sakura muttered into her knees again, vague grumbles that may have been, "I don't know", or possibly just, "ahrngfucknarng", which meant roughly the same thing.

"Well, you better figure it out. At least there's one thing we know for sure," Ino said. She waited until Sakura got curious enough to look her in the eye, then gave her a flamboyant wink. "He definitely thinks you're reMARKable."

Sakura's groan echoed around the apartment.

* * *

A short distance across town, Kiba was engaging in some good old-fashioned peer pressure. Going off the "hair of the dog" theory, he convinced Shino to try a moderate dose of non-fruity liquor to ease him down to a reasonable buzz. Probably not scientifically sound, but for once Shino joined in on Kiba's usual mode of not giving a fuck. They cracked into the whiskey Kiba had brought from when he ran away from home, then spent the evening discussing the finer aspects of the bizarre and enthralling species known as Woman. Shino wasn't inexperienced, but his tangle with Ino was his first encounter with someone he'd been getting consistent boners for, besides which it had been a while since he'd gotten more than a stiff wink from a lady. Things hadn't gone past the make-out stage, but it was understandable that his mind was blown even if nothing else had been.

Shino remained in a somewhat delicate state even as his kikaichuu started to settle in little mounds on the floor, presumably resting or just shit-faced again. Kiba offered encouraging bravado, but otherwise let his friend wax lyrical about Ino's astounding beauty to his heart's content. Later, when the night devolved to shitty sit-com reruns and Shino snoring on his shoulder, Kiba silently contemplated his own situation. His petty annoyance had faded and left only the guilt-laced uncertainty behind.

He really needed to talk to Sakura. He needed to apologize many times over, beg forgiveness for weirdness and idiocy alike. He needed to kiss her again because why not, he was already in the doghouse, how much angrier could she get? He quickly dropped the idea of even mentioning her underwear, as it was unlikely to be as funny or charming as he'd first thought, and would only cheapen the sentiments he was trying to express. And boy did he have sentiments, a deep well of them ready to douse her with pent-up affection. Kiba wasn't quite sure it was the right time to tell her how he was feeling, but he also felt like he'd been waiting his whole life to do so. Those kinds of moments never went as smoothly as one hoped anyway. Better to dive in headfirst, embrace the rush. Kiba figured he'd had enough practice expressing himself to Shino that it shouldn't be too hard transitioning to the real thing.

He knew what he felt and he knew what he wanted. It was all of her, all of the time. That was simple enough.

The next afternoon, he headed to the hospital, half-baked conversations chasing through his head. He wasn't sure how Sakura would react when she saw him, but he knew it was important that he not majorly fuck up again in his approach. He was already impatient for them to be past this little snag. The need to feel her skin on his again was powerful, feel her warmth around hi_—__nope_, nope, no time for his dick to go off right now. _Later_. Hopefully _with Sakura_.

Kiba walked a little faster, lengthening his strides. That nurse he'd talked to previously had said Sakura's schedule rarely changed and that even if things were quiet she would find things to do, frequently taking care of other peoples' work without asking. Annoying, but admirable. Also kind of adorable? Kiba pictured her sneaking paperwork off desks while the occupants were distracted, trying to look innocent, and warmth swelled in his chest. He had to tell her. Kiba broke into a jog, not stopping until he was in the hospital lobby. If she was on schedule, Sakura would be in her office, but he had to ask where that was. The young man working the front desk gave him a brief disapproving once-over, but pointed him in the right direction. Kiba started down the indicated hallway and almost ran into the very woman he was looking for. His arms shot out on instinct to steady her but it was unnecessary. At the sight of him, Sakura froze, a perfect statue of a woman caught mid-step. The only signs of life were the blush rapidly suffusing her cheeks and the minute tightening of her mouth.

Kiba stood there holding his arms out like an idiot, his mind curiously blank. He'd sure intended to do something important when he came in here, but the only intention remaining was to kiss her again. That was probably the wrong thing to do right this second, but _oh_ how he wanted to. He swallowed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. _Be cool, man_.

Sakura was hiding a storm of panic. Sure, she'd come around to the idea of talking to Kiba, but planned to wait until the aftershocks of their fornication had faded a little more. The mark still taunted her and her thoughts were still so jumbled in the apprehensive miasma of _what if_. But she should have known Kiba wouldn't allow her that kind of space, not after she'd voluntarily removed it along with their clothing in a fit of passion and madness. She'd been rolling Ino's question around her muddled brain because really, what _did_ she want? A partner she enjoyed being around, pretty straightforward. A partner who wanted her the same way she wanted him. Mind-blowing sex, obviously. All of that to coincide in the rough shape of a serial skirt chaser? Ay, there's the rub.

To Sakura's knowledge, Kiba had never dated _anyone_. He'd never needed to. Women seemed happy to jump on his dick whenever he got the urge for it. On a certain level, this also implied that he'd never _wanted_ to date.

Of course, Kiba would probably accept if she asked him out. He might even accept a foray into exclusivity. And he'd probably lose interest as soon as reality popped the sex bubble and injected unsexy relationship responsibilities into the mix. This left Sakura with the option of pretending she was ecstatic with a purely sexual connection, no strings attached, _no pressure_. She could find physical relief with the object of her reluctant affections until he inevitably bored of her company, then just work herself to death like other sensible people did when they were dealing with poor emotional choices. It wasn't a great plan, but she didn't have faith in many others at this point. This was the man her heart had decided to attach itself to. Maybe she was a simple masochist after all.

To this end, Sakura inhaled as slowly as she could and forced her body to relax, rolling her shoulders back in an approximation of cool confidence. Kiba's eyes drifted down and lingered on her neck as he took in her turtleneck on Day 2 of Cover Up duty, then caught her again in that warm feral gaze. The expression on his face was intense, reminiscent of his expression the night of the party, before, during, after... Sakura's throat tightened. "Uh, hi." If Kiba hadn't already been aware of how forced her casualness was, the higher pitch of her voice would have instantly betrayed her.

"Hi." Kiba's voice was equally traitorous, too hoarse to pretend any distance from what had occurred between them.

Sakura glanced around, shifting a bit closer. Kiba felt a little thrill race up his spine. "I-I wanted to talk to you," she said, pushing hair behind her ear, nerves evident in the slight stutter. Kiba watched with growing hunger as she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, at least until her words sunk into his addled brain.

Oh right, talking. _Talking._ Yes, important. He opened his mouth to agree, but Sakura abruptly clamped her hands around his biceps and shoved him up against the wall. Kiba stumbled, hands coming up around her elbows, inhaling her scent fully now that he was directly in her airspace. The small whiff he'd gotten earlier had been weak amongst the other human smells wandering the hall, but now she was right under his nose. There was no antiseptic clouding her fragrance today. Judging by the slight dampness of her hair, she'd probably just showered. She smelled fresh and dewy, less spicy, summer fields after rain. Kiba wanted to taste the difference immediately.

The bulk of a hospital bed trundling by broke him out of his reverie. Sakura must have seen the team of medical personnel coming over his shoulder when he was distracted by her mouth. Her eyes scanned the situation slowly wheeling past them, likely analyzing if everything was in hand, and this gave Kiba enough presence of mind to remember he'd had a practical objective to accomplish here. The bed passed and the regular flow of people in the hallway resumed. Sakura breathed out, but Kiba was gratified to hear a shakiness to her inhale as her attention shifted back to him, specifically to her hands still clasped around his arms.

Sakura was officially struggling to hold her façade together. The hospital bed interruption was giving her unexpected insight into what other horrors the mark held aside from explosive arousal. She'd grabbed Kiba to get them out of the way and hadn't given her action a second thought until she'd noticed the mark pulsing languidly. Now warmth rippled up her arms, heat slowly pouring into her hands where they touched his skin. The electric press of Kiba's fingertips around her elbows promised to pull her back under the fierce current that had swept her away the last time he got so close, and Sakura was again made aware of just _how good_ he smelled.

There was fluttering in her belly again, butterflies that had survived her volcanic internal meltdown the night they'd fucked. Distress warred with desire, and Sakura let go quickly, stepping out of his hold. _Shit. _She cleared her throat and casually moved past him, like she hadn't just been compelled to pull up his shirt and lick his chest. "Sorry about that. Mind if we walk and talk? I need to report to the Hokage's office."

Spice teased the air as she walked by and Kiba clenched his jaw. _Goddamn_, this woman was dangerous. He wrestled his wits together and took one long stride to catch up to her, trying to breathe through his mouth. "I wanted to talk too. I—"

Sakura cut him off. "You know that shit you pulled with your aunt isn't cool, right?" She still wasn't looking at him and her voice was oddly calm.

"_Fuck_, you're gettin' ahead of me." Kiba took a longer stride to get ahead of her and turned to walk backwards so he could look her in the face. There was resignation in the slight pinch between her brows, and she'd sucked her bottom lip into her mouth again, avoiding his eyes in favor of watching where they were going. "My goddamn brain short-circuited when I saw that old b—"

He wanted to launch into why he'd tracked her down at the cafe in the first place, the sparkling realization he'd had after she'd pulled him back from the brink of high-fiving the Grim Reaper, but Sakura cut him off again, words coming out in a bit of a rush. "You can't sneak stuff like that on people." She stopped and looked him the eye then, nostrils flaring a little. "I don't need excuses. I know about the pressure involved in clan politics, even if I haven't directly experienced it. I know it gets in the way of peoples' lives and that sucks so hard, but we've been friends for a long time. I should think you'd know I'm happy to help you out of a tight spot, but that's the wrong way to go about it."

Kiba was stunned. He'd expected the rage goddess to make an appearance, but this softly-delivered disappointment... He squared his shoulders and found the words he should have said in the first place, loading them with the weight of his sincerity. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Sakura said quietly. Now they were at the part where she would need some bullshitting finesse. She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to fidget. "So, the other thing..."

Kiba's countenance flipped from repentance to keen interest immediately, eyes lighting up. It was only natural that he'd be excited to get back to sexy talk, it was one of his main drives in life, but the eagerness made Sakura falter.

Kiba shifted his weight toward her, wetting his lower lip. He had more to apologize for, but there'd be time later to show her how sorry he was with his mouth all over her body. He touched her arm and slid his hand up, dragging his fingertips lightly along her skin. "Yeah, about that, I'm—"

Sakura sucked in some air and slipped her arm out of his reach. She hadn't actually stepped away, but somehow she'd put distance between them again. Her eyes were on his face, but glued to a spot roughly an inch left of his nose. "I wanted to say don't worry about the other night. I'm covered on birth control, so no big deal."

Kiba's mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a moment, hand still extended. "That's good about the birth control, but—"

"And there are worse things to do when you're drunk, right? Like I said, don't worry about it. It's just sex." Sakura's tone had turned suspiciously chipper. Her mouth curved in a smile that didn't reach her eyes. The implication in her statement smacked Kiba in the face. He'd had a lot of sex in his life by this point, and if what they'd had was just a matter of lowered inhibitions, he'd eat Akamaru. He opened his mouth—_wait, it wasn't, don't__—_but Sakura gave him a chuckle straight off a cheap laugh track, forehead creasing. "We're just…"

Sakura felt the words sticking in her throat. She swallowed hard. _Just friends?_ The lie was too big now. Kiba was staring at her with an unreadable mix of emotions on his face, brows furrowed, mouth hanging open. The fluttering intensified, but right here, right now, the sensation just made her nauseous. She wasn't ready. Sakura held her hands up, a gesture of stopping the conversation, also fitting for her surrender as she stepped back into the cowardly shadows. "Look, I really have to go. I just wanted to tell you that we're... fine." The last word came out too quiet to be true, but Sakura put on her best Sai-approved fake smile and stepped around Kiba to power-walk the rest of the way to Hokage Tower.

Kiba perfected his impression of a wide-mouth bass as he watched her disappear down the path.

Again.

Wait. _FUCK_.

He sprinted after her. They were far enough away from the tower that he still had time to catch her if she wasn't also running by now. He had to tell her. If she needed time to digest it, fine, but he had to _at_ _least_ tell her, he'd already waited so goddamn _long_.

Kiba tore around the last corner and saw Sakura up ahead. He lengthened his stride and closed the distance in a few paces, grabbing her hand. Sakura gasped and turned to him with wide eyes.

As they stared at each other, Kiba's brain buzzed, torn between using his words like a big boy or going for the controversial Just Kiss Her method again. _Words_. Words this time. _Don't fuck it up. _

His mouth opened. "I want you."

Sakura's eyes widened further. Kiba stepped closer.

Then Sakura's brows lowered to a threatening degree and suddenly the rage goddess was there, boring into him with those beautiful eyes.

The road to hell was paved with good intentions, and Kiba seemed to be contributing a lot of asphalt to that endeavor. In hindsight, what he'd said was easy to misinterpret, particularly when said by someone widely known for arbitrary hanky panky, the likes of which they'd enjoyed two nights previous. Not that Kiba considered it arbitrary, but Sakura's behavior was indicating a difference in perception. He observed the muscles jumping along Sakura's jaw as she clenched her teeth and wondered if he should have just kissed her after all.

Sakura had never experienced such entwined desire to both kiss and punch the living daylights out of someone before. He _wanted _her? Yeah, _no shit_. She wanted him too, but the few minutes that had passed since she last chickened out of expressing that hadn't restored any courage, and he probably wanted her differently, and he was _touching_ her again. Heat tingled along the back of her neck and she yanked her hand out of his. Kiba's brows pulled down over his eyes. Then Sakura heard someone calling her name, and Kiba's gaze drifted over her shoulder. She saw shock flash over his expression. Then his pupils contracted, elongating to that animal thinness, and his lips pulled back in a silent snarl.

Sakura whipped her head around. Tsunade was standing there, hands on her hips, crabby. Sougen stood next to her with an enigmatic smile on his face, eyes as warm as Sakura remembered.

She felt chakra flare behind her, subtle, a caress of energy. The mark tingled again. Sakura looked back at Kiba, blatantly baring his fangs and glaring at their high-ranking ally like he wanted to throw down. A thrill crept up Sakura's spine. She felt his hand on her waist now, fingers pressing into her as he shifted nearer, possessive. _Maybe_... Kiba's voice came out rough, nearly a growl. "Who the H-E-double-fuck invited _that_ dickbag."

A part of Sakura's brain was screaming, but she tuned it out. She didn't have time for posturing bullshit. Kiba was _still_ ignoring the unclear boundaries she'd hinted at, almost like she hadn't clearly stated she needed space. Huh. She removed his hand from her waist too quick for the mark to react. Kiba turned his fierce eyes on her, but Sakura matched him with equivalent intensity. "I have a mission. _I have to go_." Then she turned and walked away.

Kiba didn't see the point of that goddamn mark he'd put on her if she could still walk away from him so easily. His instinctive fury butted up against the social mores dictating that he _not_ attack a visiting political leader. He watched as Sakura offered her hand for a handshake and bit a hole through his lip when the bastard held on _much_ longer than necessary, leaning forward to speak to her in low tones that one might even consider _intimate_. What a motherfucking _dick_.

The fates had to be pissing themselves laughing at his expense. Kiba was surprised it wasn't raining. He growled low in his throat, then turned to stalk away from Sakura and Captain Hand-Toucher. He needed to go hit something.

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Big Gulps existing in the Naruto-verse is simply another of my scintillating contributions to world-building.

Next chapter will bring more weird feelings. Also some, ah, some much-needed relief, you feel me?

Okay, stop feeling me, that tickles.


	11. Consequences

The world is garbage and everything is terrible. And I got too excited about writing more porn and misjudged the amount of narrative leading up to it, which got too long for the porn to be part of this chapter, so let's all live for that sweet delayed gratification instead. Also, it's official, my muses hate anything to do with describing emotional turmoil in depth, _ayyyyyyyy_.

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**10\. Consequences**

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Tsunade was standing in front of the door to the examination suite, not bothering to hide her irritation. Sougen had arrived a few days ahead of schedule and there was nothing Tsunade hated more than_ early_. Sougen seemed unaware. He was leaning over the corpse of one of the attackers, inspecting the sleeve of tattoos on the dead man's left arm. Sakura adjusted her stance against the table she was leaning on. The chill of the morgue was already sinking into her bones, but it was welcome after the heat Kiba had induced under her skin. Sakura clenched her teeth, squaring her shoulders against the warm thrills still playing up and down her spine. She refused to be swept up in sexy fantasies in the goddamn _morgue _of all places.

Her attention snapped back to the body on the tray as Sougen spoke up. "The first man is unknown to me, as I said, but this one…" He paused, carefully rotating the corpse's arm and leaning his head closer to the ornate inked spirals on the sallow skin, "…looked familiar, like someone I recognized from my genin days. One of my subordinates found him in our records listed under medical leave, from before the war. His face is a great deal more scarred than the picture we had, but the resemblance was enough to prompt me to confirm for myself."

Tsunade folded her arms over her chest. "So what's the verdict?"

"The man was also listed as ANBU," Sougen muttered, almost to himself. He tilted his head, holding the arm up at an angle and squinting at it. "The Hidden Grass uses a very subtle tattoo to demarcate our special forces, easy to miss and hard to capture in a photograph if you don't know what to look for… also easy to hide, as he has."

Sakura was sure that as soon as they left the morgue, Tsunade would have some unlucky chuunin down here staring at a dead guy's arm with a magnifying glass, but neither woman asked for more details. No matter what village they came from, black ops practices were somewhat standard across the board. Operatives welcomed into those elite ranks traded their individual identities for a tattoo and a mask. Retirement from ANBU service was quiet, all glory sacrificed for the sake of the village. The individual was left to wrestle with what identity they had left stacked under the memories of what they'd been called to do. Sometimes the memories were too heavy, and it wasn't surprising that someone might find an outlet in unauthorized violence if they were forced into retirement prematurely, particularly if that retirement was quickly followed by the tumult of war.

Sougen lay the man's arm back on the table and straightened up. "I'll have my people trace this man's whereabouts leading up to his death as best they can. Perhaps that will point us in the general direction of an actual motive or other people involved." He pulled his gloves off, brows creasing as he frowned.

"With any luck," Tsunade grunted, tossing her head a little. "Investigations like this are painfully slow at the best of times, trying to piece crumbs back into a whole cake."

Sakura cleared her throat pointedly. "It's helpful you could get here so soon then, Juutoku-sama."

Tsunade shot her a look that would have made young Sakura pee herself a little. Sougen didn't notice as he stared at the corpse, lost in thought. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, mumbling to himself again. "Maybe they can check details on that border thing, don't think that's been resolved…"

"Sounds like something you should tell Sakura about while I get back to the things I was scheduled to do today." Tsunade grumbled, flapping a hand at them as she opened the door to the hall. She threw Sakura a sharp _touché but he's your problem now_ frown as she swept from the room.

Sougen looked suitably shocked at this blunt send-off. Sakura sighed as she moved to his side to cover the body back up. "My mentor is overly blunt sometimes."

"You don't say," Sougen said with a quiet snort. Sakura felt his eyes on her as she slid the tray back into the refrigerated cabinet, his tone veering flirtatious. "She must be a stickler for etiquette as well, _Haruno-sama_."

Blood flooded Sakura's cheeks and she pressed her lips together for a moment. Then she sealed the cabinet door and turned, resting a hand on a casually cocked hip, playing off the small spark that went through her at playful tilt of Sougen's mouth. "Sometimes etiquette must be preserved while one is on duty, _Sougen._"

Sougen's lips stretched in an unabashed grin. "That's a good point. I don't have a lot of training in decorum. You'd make a better bureaucrat than I do, _Sakura_." His eyes crinkled at her as he held the door open for her to leave. Sakura was once again very aware of his presence as she led the way back through the halls to the sunshine, reminiscent of when he'd escorted her from his office on her last day in Kusa. The backs of their hands brushed a few times, but she did nothing to restrain the thrills these light touches sent through her. Sougen just had a different kind of energy, approachable, nice and tame when pitted against the heart-wrenching crackle of energy a certain someone else generated.

As they stepped outside, Sougen took some deep cleansing breaths. He grinned sheepishly at Sakura's inquisitive look. "Just clearing morgue air out of my lungs."

"Oh, yeah. I forget other people aren't used to hospital smells…" Sakura ran her fingers through her hair as she looked away, suddenly nervous. She hadn't realized how much Tsunade's presence was acting as a buffer between her professional persona and her very unprofessional crush, who she also happened to be monitoring for signs of treachery. Maybe that's why she felt awkward right now.

Or maybe it was because she was with that very unprofessional crush instead of the dipshit she was viciously fighting feelings for. Or maybe because that dipshit had almost jumped into a territorial pissing contest with said crush less than an hour ago. And maybe because now she was trying to rationalize her desire to flirt more with her crush instead of facing her fears of furthering intimacy with the dipshit. Yeah, that _was_ kind of awkward. At least she was doing a decent job acting Totally Normal. To this end, Sakura performed a Totally Normal Laugh with a Totally Normal Smile and said, "I'll go ahead and show you to the guest house. Your team will be there, and I'm sure you're tired besides. How was your trip?"

Sougen fell into step beside her. "Much faster than I could have managed before you got your hands on me." He grinned at her again, wide and joyful. "Couldn't help rushing, didn't realize how much I'd missed being able to move like that. First time in a while that my team's had to work to keep up with _me_, I can tell you that."

Sakura's smile turned genuine again. "You realize a large part of that is down to you doing your stretches and exercising properly?"

"Well, that's true. Gotta hold up my side of the bargain." Sougen's smile radiated warmth.

Sakura's cheeks warmed in response. "I'll be sure to bring a gold star for you later. So what were you saying earlier about the border?"

Sougen hummed acknowledgment. "So Kusa's patrol used to be focused around the village proper, but once we established sovereignty, we extended patrol to the actual borders of the territory. Started getting reports of encounters with people wandering, sometimes on established roads, sometimes just in the forest, largely written off as folks going about their business without being aware of the sovereignty adjustment."

"Very understandable," Sakura said with a nod.

"Yes, standard for this kind of development, nothing violent. The borders are still open, we're just keeping better track of movement. People seem to be okay with it since we're not interfering with civilian affairs. But in the North-Northeast, reports started stacking of teams trying to engage peacefully with small groups of people who would just take off back across the border without a word, sometimes towards Land of Earth, sometimes more towards Hidden Waterfall. Once or twice would be one thing, but it's happened often enough to become a sort of joke for everyone who goes goes on patrol in that sector. I heard a few accounts firsthand, but kind of lost track when my workload shifted post-election. This incident seems equally indiscriminate, so it's worth seeing if there's a connection. Do you like dango?"

Thrown by the non sequitur, Sakura suddenly noticed that Sougen had stopped a few steps behind. He was staring at a little tea shop they'd passed. "Uh, yes."

"Excellent. I'll just be a moment," Sougen hit her with another eye-crinkling smile and disappeared into the shop. Sakura was left standing in the road with nought but her thoughts.

On a certain level, she felt bad that she was continuing to view this pleasantly charismatic man as an escape from her escalating emotional turmoil with Kiba. On an entirely different level: fuck it, maybe it was her time to be a messy bitch (Ino's term) and she could do whatever the fuck she wanted. Was it so wrong to want to take a vacation from emotional stress by squishing naughty bits with another consenting adult? Kiba may have saved her life, and maybe she was falling for the rat bastard a _teensy_ bit, but aside from that all he was contributing to her life was irregular heart rhythm and lots of soaked underwear. Sougen had come here to be of assistance to Konoha and had weathered Tsunade's grouchiness gracefully while offering valuable insight on this strange case. His ass was even more fetchingly toned than the last time she'd seen it and now he was getting snacks to share with her like an absolute sweetheart. He also seemed unlikely to impart a ritualistic bite on her without asking unlike the pain-in-the-ass her dumb heart was drooling over. _Was it so wrong?..._

Sakura was snapped back to reality by a stick of fresh dango waving in front of her face. She took it and refocused on Sougen, who was brandishing a sizable box of snackage. "They had a huge selection of tasty-looking things, so I got some of everything." He grinned at her like a kid, reminding her vaguely of Naruto when he talked about ramen. "Hope you're hungry."

"Starving," Sakura said. _In so many unfortunate ways_, Sakura thought. They continued walking along. Sougen was quick to slide the snack box under her nose when she'd finished off her skewer of pillowy dumplings, and Sakura grinned at him as she selected another treat. He grinned back and she laughed because even her intrusive thoughts couldn't ruin the joy of an attractive man with food.

"What's so funny?" Sougen asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Life? The chain of events that led to this moment in which I'm being waited upon by a visiting dignitary, that sort of thing."

Sougen laughed. "A dignitary from a fledgling country. Our budget's minimal, I'm still working for tips, you know."

Sakura made a show of patting her pouches. "Damn it, I knew I should have brought more cash with me today."

"Hey, I'm all about bartering," Sougen said with a deep chuckle, "I'll be the best waiter in the world for another back massage."

His slow smile spoke volumes and Sakura felt her face heating up again, but she heaved a sigh like this was a hardship. "I suppose I could. I need to complete the follow-up you requested anyway, may as well tack on a massage if my hands are in area already."

"Much obliged." Sougen winked, then presented the box for further perusal. "Might the Miss desire another confection to tempt her delicate palate?"

They chatted between short stints of chewing. In addition to his check-up, Sougen requested a tour of the village. The slow grind of investigation allowed a degree of schedule freedom for the time being, even with the liberal peppering of political meetings. Sakura advised him to get a night of good rest first and left him at the guest house after agreeing on a time to meet the next day. Then she spent her evening busying herself with very important things that took up any time she might have had to go straighten things out with Kiba, _oh well_.

Just because her dumb heart was falling back into its old habits and urging her to be loyal to the highly theoretical possibility of Kiba returning her feelings didn't mean she had to listen. Humans were capable of change, however, change sucked major ass and usually required something extreme to kickstart the effort. While Sakura could acknowledge she was an exceptional woman in many ways, she wasn't sure she was exceptional enough to affect change on a sexual force of nature with one good lay. Kiba was fast and loose with physical affection as a rule. Sure, on paper, the flirting and kissing and fucking were all actions that _theoretically_ pointed to Kiba returning her feelings, but the problem was the history.

History was a useful tool for tracking the results of one's choices and the consequences of one's actions. Sakura's history with Sasuke, for example, made it abundantly clear how much of a dumbass she'd been during that time in her life. She'd been completely willing to throw herself away on the off-chance Sasuke would fall for her, meanwhile he'd barely acknowledged her as a teammate, much less as a friend. Also he'd tried to kill her numerous times, which didn't exactly scream 'long-term relationship material'. Yet she'd still chased after him with her whole being, far beyond the point of reason. Their bond now was strong thanks to many painful conversations and a reasonable amount of physical fighting, but it didn't change the fact that Sakura had been a Class-A Moron for a guy who'd done nothing to deserve that amount of sacrifice from her.

Her history with Kiba didn't feature any attempted murder at least, but she still had no real assurance that his recent actions were anything more than an extension of the we-re-friends-but-let's-try-on-some-benefits moment they'd had when they were teens. Kiba had yet to tell her any different, and in the grand scheme of things, his actions towards her were in accordance with his actions towards any woman he wanted to sleep with. The bite mark was still an unknown, but Kiba hadn't even mentioned it when they'd talked, and if it meant something, _wouldn't he have mentioned it?_

Though her history with Sougen could fit in a thimble, it was also blissfully straightforward by comparison. It's possible he was as much a smooth operator as Kiba, but that was a problem for Future Sakura. Present Sakura just wanted some humble schlong from a hunky-delicious dude from out of town. And the matter of the local schlong would just have to be tabled for now, because though Kiba was also quite hunky-delicious, he was stressing her the fuck out and Sakura'd had just about enough of that nonsense for the time being.

The next morning, Sakura took Sougen to her favorite breakfast spot, a hole-in-the-wall diner run by an Akimichi grandmother. Conversation was easy, laughter easier. Sakura didn't think about Kiba at all, save for when she silently congratulated herself on not thinking about him.

Once she and Sougen had been thoroughly overfed, they worked off breakfast with a leisurely climb to the top of the Hokage Rock. Sougen put his hands on his hips and observed the village spread below them. "And here I thought the view out my window was nice."

Sakura angled her eyes his way. "What, flat rock?"

"Yeah, but if you look up you can see straight up the second guy's nostrils, so that's pretty special." He shot her a grin, then gazed out at the village again. "So it's really called 'Hokage Rock'?"

Sakura chuckled and stretched her back. "Yeah, we're all about creative names here. Fun fact: the village was named Village Hidden in the Leaves because one of the founders observed it was, in fact, a village hidden in the leaves."

Sougen cocked his head a moment, then shrugged. "Every other ninja village copied their idea, so the problem may lie with shinobi in general. Mayhap we focus too much of our creativity on jutsu." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "It's such a nice day. Maybe after your tour, we can do the follow-up outside somewhere."

Sakura's brain cheerfully reminded her that she'd been doing a lot of different things outside lately. But it really was a nice day, and Sougen's company made it nicer. They enjoyed a light lunch together that he insisted on paying for (very reasonably, as Sakura had sneak-paid the breakfast tab), then wandered around chatting about whatever came to mind as Sakura pointed out occasional landmarks (the Academy, Ichiraku, all the greats). The energy between them retained that comfortable warmth, spiked with Sougen's considerable charm. It was a heady combination.

They finished their circuit in the gardens behind the guest house. Sougen immediately looked up. "Wow, the panorama of Hokage nostrils is even more incredible from this angle."

"Well, I couldn't let you miss out on this prime scenic view of the whole set," Sakura said, shooing him towards a bench.

Sougen let her herd him, pretending to marvel as he shrugged out of his flak jacket and sat down. Sakura pretended she was more interested in nostrils than the hard planes of Sougen's back as he pulled his shirt off. Luckily it was easier to fall into her healing patter with him than it was with… _other _attractively-distracting people. Sakura cleared her throat and rested her hands on his skin. "Okay, let me see your relaxed posture."

Sougen did as instructed. Sakura briefly slid chakra into his system, feeling her way around the old injury site. Everything was ship-shape. "All right, spread your feet out, I'm going to move you into a deep stretch. Remember to resist the push and breathe." They'd spent a lot of time doing this resistance flexibility training last time. Sougen's responsiveness was still pleasing. Sakura put him through a few rounds of stretches until she was satisfied, then dug her knuckles into a tight knot she'd felt in his lower back.

Sougen sucked in a breath, then exhaled as she kneaded out the soreness. "I—_aht_—was mostly joking earlier…" He took another breath, letting the air out in a stuttered chuckle as she pushed her thumbs up into his lats, "but _damn _you're good." Sakura grinned to herself, pulling a groan out of him as she found a tender spot under his right shoulder blade. Sougen leaned into her hands and she spent the next ten minutes turning him to putty.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Sougen's voice came out smooth despite the therapeutic pain she was inflicting, and deep. It did pleasant things to her insides, but Sakura kept her tone light, laughing a little. "You already bought me lunch. I thought Kusa was on a shoestring budget."

She could hear the smile in Sougen's voice. "This is coming out of my personal funds."

Sakura chewed her lip, working her thumbs in small circles as her mind churned. She had no reason to hesitate. The voice in her head offered up a few, but Sakura shook them off. It was just dinner and she had no defined attachments. She was a free agent! No way Kiba was holding himself back on her account, so why should she?

She refused to be controlled by the mere idea of a man wanting her ever again, refused to sacrifice a good time to leave space for the faint hopes of a man possibly being able to _love _her.

_Never again. _

Sougen's voice jarred her from her thoughts, "You're not obligated to. I promise you won't hurt my feelings if you say no."

Sakura moved her hands up to his shoulders and squeezed gently. "Dinner sounds great."

Sougen turned to look at her with a crooked smile. "Full disclosure, I'm asking less as a dignitary treating his attache and more as a man taking a beautiful woman out to wine and dine her."

Sakura felt herself flush. "It's still a yes."

Sougen's eyes warmed as his smile widened. Sakura smiled back and mentally choked out the voice in her head.

They parted ways for a few hours. Sougen needed to meet with his team. Sakura took care of some busywork at the hospital, saw a few patients, then ran home to change into the tightest high-collared shirt she owned. She spent way too long fussing over makeup, subtle, just enough to make her look casually divine. She met Sougen at the restaurant, a newer bistro he'd pointed out during their tour. He was waiting outside and brightened when he saw her. Sakura felt her stomach tighten in anticipation. There was something to be said for uncomplicated romance.

Dinner was delicious, the wine even more so. The low lighting in the restaurant added to the intimate atmosphere, as did Sougen's knee brushing hers more frequently under the table as they ate. Sakura couldn't tell if it was just the wine going to her head, or if Sougen's eyes were particularly warm and inviting this evening. Maybe a bit of both. His company was very relaxing. They shared a dessert, which provided an opportunity to put their heads closer as they leaned over the plate. They discussed the merits of chocolate, dark versus milk, and did white chocolate really count as chocolate? Sakura let her inner vixen out to play as she leaned a little closer, laughed a little more, leaned closer still as they continued talking, not that either of them were paying all that much attention to the conversation anymore. Sougen's gaze kept drifting from her eyes to her mouth, and Sakura found her eyes tracing the same path on his face. Sougen had a very attractive mouth, attractive when smiling, probably attractive when doing other things… Kiba had an attractive mouth too, _very _good at doing other things than smili—god_damnit_, NO.

Sakura choked on a mouthful of torte and had to drain her water. Sougen held out his water for her too, but she waved him off with a sheepish smile. He returned her smile with gently smoldering eyes and an affectionate curve to his mouth, followed by a warm hand on her knee. Sakura smiled wider, satisfied that her unsexy spluttering hadn't ruined the mood. They conversed quietly while they finished the wine, Sougen rubbing his thumb over her skin in small purposeful circles that made Sakura tingle. When they finally exited into the cool evening air, he took her hand, and they continued talking about things that had nothing to do with how Sakura was nonchalantly leading the way to her apartment.

Sakura slowed as she passed the tree outside her building, letting Sougen trail off from what he was saying as she pulled him into the shallow privacy of night-deepened shadows. She let him press her into the trunk and they gazed at each other silently for a moment before Sougen's eyes fell to her lips and Sakura pulled him down into a kiss. His lips were soft and very warm, gentle, slowly kindling her passion as he cupped her face and stroked the seam of her lips with his tongue. Sakura opened her mouth to him, losing herself in the sensuality of hard muscles against her and the heightening thrill of his tongue tangling with hers.

Sougen broke the kiss to smoothe slow kisses along her jaw, sliding a finger under her collar and tugging it down a little so he could seal his mouth over her pulse, drawing small circles with his tongue and sucking gently. The movement of his lips was unhurried and so _very _warm, so different than that fierce invading heat, the fanged mouth that _burned_… Sakura's eyes flew open, heart pounding. The mark was tingling again, but this time the tingle was a sharp pinch of pins and needles, as if she'd brushed against an iron fresh out of the fire. Her core started to throb languidly, but it was unclear if it was purely due to the man lavishing her neck with attention or the damned mark getting uppity again.

Sakura slid her arms over Sougen's shoulders and twined her fingers in his hair, pressing her body against him with more urgency. If she needed to pay homage to the fucking mark, fine. Sougen seemed plenty happy to get to some fucking, if the hardness she felt on her belly was any indication. The man in question lifted his lips back to hers for another deep kiss that Sakura eagerly reciprocated. The mark twinged as their tongues touched. She shivered and Sougen wrapped his arms more tightly around her, humming into her mouth as he tilted her head back, pushing his hips more firmly into her. Sakura had a few moments to enjoy this before the mark twinged again, more keenly, then lit up white-hot like an incendiary flare.

Sakura broke away with a gasp, clutching at the strong arms holding her up as her knees wobbled. Sougen moved his lips back down to her neck while Sakura tried and failed to catch her breath, the pain becoming a knife slowly twisting right between Kiba's fang marks. She shut her eyes only to be confronted with a vision of Kiba looming over her, a hot-blooded presence demanding her attention. The vision suffused her senses, so vivid that even when she opened her eyes, she saw an afterimage of Kiba's eyes floating over Sougen's shoulder, so black with desire they sucked in the light and air. She could feel phantom hands scorching her skin as they slipped beneath her clothes where Sougen's hands had yet to travel, feel that sharp mouth descending over her shoulder again, blistering her with passion.

Kiba was setting her on fire without even being present _again_. The contrast with the mouth currently on her neck was staggering. Sougen's soft lips continued to caress her throat while Sakura scrabbled for some kind of hold on reality. She couldn't help letting out a quiet whimper as the pain tracked hot claws up the back of her skull, squeezing her thighs together on an agonizing burst of desire searing between her legs, _fuck_—

"Sou—_ah!_ Ah, Sougen, s-stop," Sakura found her voice, trying to keep the pain out of her tone.

He pulled his head back immediately, remaining pressed against her as he moved his hands to her sides to hold her steady. His brow furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?"

Sakura breathed for a moment, gathering her chakra in the nerves above the bite mark to block the pain, still wrestling with her breathing. "I, um, just remembered. I have surgery, early. Last-minute reschedule, completely forgot."

Sougen gave a deep chuckle. "I understand. A tired surgeon is a hazard to be avoided at all costs."

Sakura managed a breathy laugh. "Besides, I recall you have an early meeting with the Fire Daimyo."

Sougen grimaced a little. "True. An early night wouldn't hurt before a busy day stretching my political wings. I'll say goodnight, then." He gazed at her with those warm eyes, then leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek, murmuring against her skin, "For now, anyway."

Sakura nodded, playing it as cool as she could, letting her hands slide off Sougen's shoulders as he stepped away. His gaze lingered on her a moment longer, one corner of his mouth pulling up, then he held up a hand and headed off into the night. As soon as he was out of sight, Sakura collapsed against the tree. She dissolved the chakra block so she could focus on the energy roiling in the mark on her neck. The pain was already fading, but her anger was boiling over. Prior to this, the mark had only made her super horny, which was inconvenient but so what? Twice now Kiba had neglected to explain anything about it, so she'd convinced herself it wasn't a big deal. But the fake girlfriend shit was a drop in the goddamn bucket compared to the punitive torment she'd just endured. Sakura reeled from the insolence of it all. They'd kissed some and fucked once, none of which gave Kiba _any_ right to dictate what she did with her body or who she did it with.

Sakura ground her teeth as she launched onto the rooftops in the direction of the matching chakra signature and homed in on it like a missile. Her heart was a fucking idiot for getting so twisted up over such a dickbag. What she'd told Sougen wasn't a total lie. She did have a last-minute surgery to perform. Kiba's head was big enough that surgical intervention was required to insert it completely up his ass.

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Next chapter brings the hot and heavy, for real this time. The narrative moves as it must, but I'm glad y'all are along for the ride.

Also the world is still garbage and everything is still terrible, but stay as safe as you can out there. If you're protesting, hide your identity as best you can: masks, plain clothing, etc. Turn off cell data.

3 teaspoons of baking soda per 8.5 oz of water will neutralize pepper spray (spray on face and in mouth). Water to rinse tear gas powder off. Wear goggles if you have contacts. Sharpie a contact phone number on your arm just in case.

Twitter has a lot of good info floating around. Donate, sign petitions, stand up for injustice in your country in ways big and small. We're stronger together. Black Lives Matter.

Though I don't know you, I love you all.


	12. Truths - Part 1

Sorry I'm taking so long with chapters and sorry this one is short. It came out double the length and I decided to split it, the last half still needs significant work. Depression's a dick. I've still got lots of story left in me, the tap's just slowed down is all.

Shout-out to the OG **alxxman** who sparked my inspiration for a few scenes that've turned into three chapters... consequences indeed. May the smutty amouse bouche at the end of this whet your appetite.

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**11\. Truths - Part 1**

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A rapidly shortening distance away Kiba was slouched on Shino's couch, shirtless and draining a lukewarm beer. The TV was on, but Kiba wasn't really focused on whatever was on the screen, far too busy wondering where things had all gone so wrong.

Sakura had mentioned a mission. It clearly involved the cocksucker, which made sense because of the attack and all, but also felt awfully convenient. It stung to see Sakura's shoulders relax when she greeted him, like the prick had saved her from having to spend any more time in Kiba's unwelcome presence. In his anger, Kiba had spent so long beating the sawdust out of an innocent post that he'd fucked up his knuckles despite wrapping them to Rock Lee's exact wrapping specifications.

Much like the wound on his lip, this pain failed to distract him and only added to the growing list of frustrations he was bringing upon himself. On top of that, he'd only narrowly escaped another run-in with Hachiko, made more terrifying by the fact that she'd been arm-in-arm with his mother… One hell-bitch at a time, thank you. Now he was bumming on his buddy's couch with shitty beer and shitty TV, a tableau of "Clan Heir as Couch-surfing Loser".

Kiba ran his tongue over his sore lip. What a dream life was turning out to be.

At least he wasn't alone. Akamaru was stretched over his lap like a living blanket, buoying Kiba's mood somewhat with his fuzzy comfort. He'd also rolled in something that had long since met its maker. This was not as charming a smell for humans as it was for dogs, so the comfort was a mixed bag overall. Kiba crushed his empty beer can in one fist, wincing as his knuckles screamed, and lobbed it over his shoulder into the kitchen. He heard the telltale clunk of it going directly into the trashcan, but the victory was too small to make a dent in his shit mood. Oh to be young again... Fewer cares on his shoulders, less personal responsibility, the good old days when seeing even a hint of boob or a flash of soft girl butt was thrilling.

Now he was dealing with the consequences of falling for the siren call of one butt in particular, which had gripped him ever since he'd observed its owner throwing a tree across the training grounds. Prior to that, Kiba hadn't experienced arousal springing from what boiled down to a pretty girl being strong/violent, but what he'd assumed was a fear boner had turned into a regular occurrence when he thought about Sakura too much. And the rest was (pathetic) history, but his interactions with her lately formed a distinct pattern that differed wildly from their status quo. And that was good, right? Actual sex aside, Sakura's attraction for him was obvious by smell alone, even though she kept dismissing it. And she'd get pissed at him (rightfully so), but wouldn't hit him. These things struck Kiba as indicators of Sakura feeling some kind of way about him, sure, but she also kept _literally running away_ from him.

Maybe she'd stop when he could finally get the right words to come out of his stupid mouth. The "kiss her" option was really starting to shine, since his mouth had proven to be a more positive distraction when he'd put it directly on hers. Plus she wouldn't be able to run if he turned her knees to jelly, so... but Kiba was unsure when he'd get the chance to try either of these things again. It seemed unlikely that Sakura would seek him out while she was busy with Lord Fuckwad, and she'd signaled a need for space. He'd ignored these signals before, which was likely a factor in why he was currently being farted on by a large dog instead of locking lips with the woman of his dreams.

Patience was not one of Kiba's strong suits, but he could pick up what she was putting down, however reluctantly. He could wait. He'd already _been_ waiting... more of that was just business as usual, really.

Apropos of nothing, the window flew up and Sakura stumbled into the room cursing. Kiba stared. Now the fates were just fucking with him.

He took her in: flushed cheeks (_gorgeous_), tight shirt (_sexy_), eyes lit with the glow of impending eruption (_figures_). Akamaru lifted his head, tail wagging hard enough to achieve vertical lift with the force of his joy. Sakura melted a little at the sight, as angry people are wont to do when confronted with happy animals.

The smell of her hit Kiba's nose: summer fields rife with the crackling ozone of fury, spice so heady it made his dick perk… The spice was concerning, considering the heavy dose of handsy motherfucker mixed into her fragrance. Then Kiba picked up the distinct note of dried saliva and Lizard Brain sprang up so fast he almost got whiplash. Adrenaline shot through his system.

That asshole had put his mouth on her.

His _fucking_ _MOUTH_. On _HER_.

Kiba's whole body tensed like a garotte, the better to _murder that fucker with_,_ that shitfaced motherfucking cocksucking DICKhead son of a BITCH—_At this point, Akamaru hopped off the couch, wisely deciding to take his happy ass to Shino's bedroom. Judging by the volatile mix of hormones clouding the air, the humans had some serious shit to work out. Whether it ended with good or bad screaming, it would be easier to nap behind a closed door.

Sakura was trying to catch her breath, righteous anger currently engaging in a cage match with her base desires. She hadn't anticipated how attractive Kiba would be sprawled on a couch in nothing but a pair of ratty sweatpants… with a busted lip… and battered _knuckles_, what the hell had he been _doing _for the last day and a half? She was distracted from her contemplation by the taut muscles of Kiba's chest as he sat up, tendons around his neck cording out, shoulders rolling back with the calculated indolence of a beast readying for attack. Desire landed a devastating series of right hooks and her eyes flitted down the rock-hard abs to that treacherous happy trail. She knew what lay at the end of that path, but that was definitely not why she was here. _Not_. Definitely.

No, she was here to protest the unlawful deployment of tooth-based seal jutsu. She was here to pass judgment on male audacity. She was here to cram skulls all up in rectal cavities. Her voice rang around the apartment. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?"

Kiba was preoccupied by thoughts of how to remove a daimyo's head from his body without causing an international incident. His voice came out in a low growl, "I do a lotta things."

Sakura took in Kiba's expression, the stark anger in his sharply-angled brows, the snarl of his mouth, upper lip twisting to flash a fang tip. This prick was really trying to square up with her… Trying to ignore how the ripple of his strong shoulders made her throb, Sakura curled her own lip and yanked her collar down, grating out, "Well, let's talk about _this _fucking thing."

Kiba's eyes traced down the curve of Sakura's neck and widened. _Uh… what?_

Inuzuka fangs weren't purely an aesthetic feature. Usage of chakra-enhanced bites was a clan tradition, particularly with regards to sex, the most common being the courting bite. It rendered the bitten more sensitive to the biter's pheromones and sex hormones for about a week, give or take. Overall, the aphrodisiac effect was mild, a fizz of horniness, like drinking too much wine. Skin contact intensified the feeling, but it only took a little willpower to resist.

This is why Kiba had always considered courting bites pointless. To be a complete brag, his dick was far more potent than wine for the average woman. But since Sakura was exceptional, he'd figured it was worth a shot, so this was the bite he'd planted on the furious woman he was trying to woo. The bite that was supposed to be a rusty color instead of the conspicuous shade of crimson staining Sakura's skin. Kiba's brain whirred, trying to tamp down the instinct to go fuck up a foreign bureaucrat for existing so he could figure out what the hell was happening here.

The clan term for what graced Sakura's neck was an aegis bite, created by pushing chakra into a courting bite. This extended the lifespan of the original mark, heightened the arousal response significantly, and made the bitten acutely sensitive to the biter's chakra signature. When freshly charged, it only took a few moments of skin contact with the biter to set the mark singing, and this extra sensitivity lingered even with days between contact. A strong enough charge could make an aegis bite so sensitive that mere close proximity would get juices flowing, which explained why Sakura had reacted the way she did when he touched her the other day. Shit, if that hospital bed had taken a minute longer to pass, she might've climbed him like a tree right there in the hallway.

Because of this sensitivity, aegis bites required more responsible application, ideally following longer conversations about deep things like feelings and _commitment_. A courting bite was considered part of flirting. Aegis bites fell more in line with the modern concept of getting engaged. This was a bridge miles away from where he and Sakura currently were, but Kiba _knew_ he'd only given her a regular bite so _how the fuck… _

Sakura was watching him, eyes narrowing by the second. When Kiba failed to formulate a response with appropriate haste, she stalked towards him, tone growing deadlier. "Let's talk about how I tried to enjoy myself with another consenting adult and this thing fucking _hurt me_." She came to a halt on the other side of the coffee table. "Press-ganging me into being your fake girlfriend wasn't enough for you? You had to find some new and different way to remove my agency in my own fucking life?!"

She hadn't told Kiba anything his nose hadn't already picked up on, but further reference to King Dickwad made his lips pull all the way back from his teeth.

Sakura's glare sharpened like an axe in response and she bared her teeth right back at him. "What, nothing to say for yourself? You had _no right_ to put some fucking primal claim on me, _no goddamn right_." She jabbed a finger at him every other word, chest heaving. "I couldn't even heal the fucking thing."

Her body language was sending all kinds of hot signals straight to his dick, but Kiba tried to ignore the blood rush, holding her glare as he sifted through musty clan knowledge. She'd tried to heal it, which meant putting chakra into it… which would mean she'd inadvertently charged it up herself? Was that even possible? The clan texts had insisted that the biter was responsible for charging the bite they'd given. This didn't preclude the bitten being _able_ to charge their own marks, but Kiba didn't remember seeing that mentioned anywhere. It simply Wasn't How Things Were Done, and yet here they were. Fat lot of good _reading_ did.

He needed to figure that out later, though. Sakura was almost visibly steaming at his protracted silence and Shino would probably be upset if he came back from his family retreat to find blood all over his apartment.

Kiba took a deep breath, making an effort to relax his face a bit. "That wasn't a claim," he began, leaning forward and bracing his forearms on his knees.

"Wasn't a, _you f_…" Sakura swiped hair back from her face with livid fingers, eyes bulging. The man's audacity was _stunning_. "You're fucking joking."

Kiba watched her sputter, eyes blazing green hellfire as the scent of her epinephrine spike salted the air like fresh-cut grass. An odd sense of calm was washing over him. He still wanted to go ruin that fucker for touching her, but… she wasn't with the fucker right now. She was here, just like she was supposed to be, clearly furious... Kiba could handle furious. They'd trained together for a couple of months once. Sakura had been wanting to practice channeling her extreme strength differently and she'd needed a training partner, someone strong and fast, someone who wouldn't back down, someone with minimal concern for their own safety. Kiba had stepped up immediately. They'd spent their time tearing up various training areas with violent games of tag and fast-paced sparring, flowing together and dodging around each other like vicious poetry... oh yes, he could handle furious.

That time together was when he'd realized his feelings were more than just plain horniness, those evenings spent talking about random shit as they lay panting in the dirt, flat on their backs amongst the wreckage they'd caused. He'd always known she was smart, but she was also funny as hell when she relaxed enough to let herself be. Kiba had felt special being privy to that hidden side of her, usually shrouded by her intense drive to succeed and (at the time) intense drive to bring Uchiha back.

He should have told her how he felt then, but alas, he'd been just as big of an idiot as he was now. But he knew he'd be the biggest idiot of all time if he squandered the opportunity in front of him. The beast inside settled back on its haunches as he changed tack, tension fully easing out of his face. "Nope."

Sakura was taken aback. Kiba's mood had been paralleling hers till just now, but the air in the room was changing. "What the fuck are you playing at?" she spat.

Kiba's tone edged provocative. "Not playin'." The sudden challenge in his darkening gaze made Sakura feel like she was losing her mind. It made her want to put his head through a wall. She wasn't about to stand around being condescended to, not now, not by _him_. Frustration and wrath teamed up, incinerating her higher-level cognition.

Sakura grit out, "You _fucking asshole_" and vaulted over the table to shove Kiba against the back of the couch. Her brain was on angry autopilot, fingers digging into his stupid strong shoulders as if to claw down to the bone. She wanted to shake him hard enough to rearrange his brain, do everyone a favor. Why was her heart so fucking _dumb_? Her eyes bored into the source of her anguish, now dangerously close.

Aside from letting her push him back, Kiba hadn't moved or made a sound. His hands had come to rest on the couch on either side of her knees where she straddled him. They were placed at a deliberate_ not touching you_ kind of distance, an off-brand show of self-control betrayed by the blown-out state of his pupils. He matched the intensity of her stare, which made her tingle in all the right places. The mark shivered, reacting to the heat trickling into her fingers. Sakura's shoulders hitched at the answering shiver in her core, breath coming quicker as temptation simmered in her gut, enticing her to give in, _let go_.

The voice in her head was murmuring, emboldened by the heat spilling up her arms, goading her, _come on, show him how it feels_... Didn't she _want_ him to know what he was putting her through? That torturous urge to feel him again so deep and the miserably improbable fantasies of _more_… Kiba was still staring challenge, and they were too goddamn close for this not to be completely maddening. Sakura snapped.

She sank her teeth into his shoulder, an act of retaliation and defiance of all the other things she wanted to do to him without the fucking _mark _spurring her on. Kiba shuddered when her teeth broke the skin, sucking in a quiet breath. Sakura bit down harder, craving a real reaction. Then the iron taste of blood filtered over her tongue and suddenly the air felt ten times hotter. She inhaled sharply against Kiba's shoulder as superheated pressure squeezed through the mark and rolled down her back, so delicious it made her thighs flex. Sensation strummed over her nerve endings, evoking the memory of the last time they'd been in this position. Suspiring against the warm skin under her mouth, Sakura lapped at her bloody handiwork, vision going hazy as lust glazed the edges of her fury.

Kiba swallowed with difficulty, hands clenching on the sofa cushions. His knuckles twinged, but he hardly noticed. Sakura seemed to have forgotten why she tackled him, content to hum dreamily as she swiped the flat of her tongue over the wound she'd made, and it felt so fucking good his eyes were rolling back in his head. To say he was hard would be a painful understatement, and now he was inhaling ozone wreathed in a burst of spice, _honeyed_ spice—oh, she was fuckin' _wet. _Kiba clenched his hands harder, trying to focus on the pain rather than the pleasure being inflicted upon him.

General Inuzuka bite protocol dictated that anyone dealing a bite be prepared to take care of their lover properly afterward, afterward referring to any time a bite was triggered, so to speak. The choice ultimately came down to what the bitten wanted, but the biter was to use any and every thing on offer to bring the bitten to completion; anything less was considered incredibly rude at best, and cruel at worst. And the mark was definitely going haywire. Skin contact aside, Sakura was doped out on blood now, chock-full of all those tasty sexy hormones. There's no way she was anything close to clear-headed right now. As the responsible party here (i.e. not drugged out on hormones), Kiba needed to tread carefully. He was ready to turn over a new leaf and, goddamn it, he was going to make Sakura look at it. He wasn't going to let his dick call the shots this time. But just because he was thinking clearly didn't mean he didn't want to be inside her like _now. _The way she was softening into him was extremely distracting to the little brain twitching in his joggers, so the situation was fuckin' treacherous.

Further conversation was needed to determine what page everyone was on. He needed Sakura to want all this the same way he did. For better or worse, that meant he needed to hit the reset button.

Sakura was feeling intoxicated, loose-limbed and warm and _needy_. She leaned back to look Kiba in the face again, hand sliding around the back of his neck to steady her swaying. The warmth in his eyes was the same warmth she'd seen when he told her he wanted her, but different, warmer? It made her want to press closer, curl up in his arms, just suck on his cock a _little_… Sakura squeezed her thighs around his, still tense beneath her and so strong—goddamn, she was _stupid_ horny right now. Her eyes drifted down to Kiba's silly split lip. What did this dummy do to himself? She brought her fingers over to heal it, make his lips all nice again because Kiba really did have nice lips, and speaking of things she wanted to suck on… Sakura sucked her own lip into her mouth, a poor substitute for the one she was stroking. _What if..I… just put my face…on his face..?_

Kiba pulled back from her touch slightly and Sakura dragged her gaze back to his eyes, thrillingly dark, watching her with barely-restrained hunger. Her hand was still hovering in front of his mouth, and Kiba kept his gaze on hers as he used the tip of his tongue to trace a slow line up her palm. Sakura gasped, tingles zinging up her arm and straight to the lips between her hips. His hands were on her thighs now, kneading the flesh gently. She watched him lift his chin and press his lips to her fingers, words cascading through the spaces in between. "Should've let me finish, goddamn."

His touch electrified her. Sakura pulled herself forward on his lap, consumed with a need to rub her aching pussy on the hardness she knew she'd find there and _bingo_. She leaned her forehead against his and rutted against him mindlessly, pulling a low groan from him.

Kiba's hands wrapped around her hips, but instead of helping her find a rhythm, he pushed her back onto his legs. Sakura's lust-drunk brain didn't understand this signal, only wanting more, _more_, and she dragged her hands down his chest to slip them into the waistband of those teasingly-clingy sweatpants—oh fuck she needed to touch him and wanted to touch his_ dick_—but Kiba's fingers closed around her wrists and removed them from his pants, completely ignoring her mumbled protest. She glared at him again with half-lidded eyes.

He returned her gaze, neutral expression completely belied by the devouring gleam in his black eyes. "I fucked up. Should've told you. I'm shit with words to begin with and turn into a fucking idiot around you, but I should've told you."

Sakura pushed against his grip with feverish energy. Why was he running his mouth when she was sitting here wanting_ so badly_? "Asshole," she grumbled.

The corner of Kiba's mouth twitched up. His smile grew as he pressed her wrists together, trapping them against her thigh under one of his big hands. Frustrated, Sakura growled and made to scoot forward again, but stilled immediately when Kiba's hand squeezed around her other thigh. Her mouth fell open uselessly, words burning up on her tongue as her inner walls squeezed in response. The fierce heat in his eyes and his dangerous smile sent need spiraling through her till she was dizzy with it. A wail of pure need snuck out of her throat.

Holy _shit_, claim or not, this mark was fucking _bonkers_.

"I'm a selfish asshole and I'm sorry, baby." Kiba's voice was ragged, fingers pressing promises into her flesh as his hand slowly climbed higher on her thigh. His gaze dropped to her crotch and swept back up to meet hers again. "Gonna take care of you, okay?"

Sakura nodded, releasing a shuddery breath as his thumb brushed her sex through her clothing. Kiba licked his lips and quickly slid his hand into her shorts. Sakura spread her legs wider over his lap, waiting for that plunge of fingers, _needing_, but he teased her instead, tracing lightly up and down her slit with just a fingertip. Sakura was already so wet that his shallow pass between her folds was audible and Kiba's breath hitched at the sound, nostrils flaring. He let go of her wrists and wrapped his hand around her hip to anchor her, making her gasp as he dipped eagerly into her wetness.

Sakura clung to his biceps, whimpering as Kiba stirred her up. He teased her entrance and circled her clit with slick-soaked fingers until her hips were jerking, then slid two fingers knuckle-deep inside her needy cunt. Sakura's head fell back, loudly moaning, "Oh fuck _right there!_" as he curled them to massage her sweet spot.

She felt her orgasm starting to flutter inside her as she ground down on Kiba's hand. His grip tightened on her hip as he fucked his fingers into her, and she heard him breathing harder, that husky voice saying "_Fuck_, baby" so quiet it was barely audible over the juicy sounds coming from between her legs. It sent her careening over the edge with a loud cry (hopefully the upstairs neighbors had thick carpets). Kiba kept his hand pressed into her sex, fingers rotating gently as she rode out her pleasure, panting her bliss at the ceiling until she finally sagged onto his legs.

She heard Kiba release a shaky breath. His fingers squeezed into the flesh of her hip like a question mark. "Back with me?"

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Think I probably should have explained the bite details sooner, OH WELL. Also I headcanon that Kiba'll call anyone babe, but only someone close to his heart gets called baby uwu.

Come find me on Twitter at **perilouslips**. Made the account when I started writing again and immediately forgot about it. Mostly share/post dumb shit that makes me laugh, scream into the void, the usual.


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